Inertia
by Iron Lotus
Summary: Inertia is defined as “resistance or disinclination to action or change". Kagome has just had about the worst week in her life. Throw in a dramatic rescue involving three very good-looking guys… and things just might start improving. [AU][KagInuMirSes
1. Plenty of Reasons to Cry

Disclaimer: See Author Profile.

Rating: R, for language and eventually for adult situations.

Summary: Kagome has just had about the worst week in her life. Throw in a dramatic rescue involving three very good-looking guys… and things just might start improving. [AU][Kag/Inu/Mir/Sess ??]

***

Iron Lotus presents:

Inertia

*

Chapter One:

Plenty of Reasons to Cry

*

"…Excuse me?" Disbelief. Pure disbelief.

"You're fired," the man repeated with an exasperated sigh. 

"…Well." She managed to say, her eyes tightening for a moment before she regained her composure. She stood and looked at the faceless man in front of her, her face blank but her eyes brimming. She murmured a polite 'excuse me' and snatched the folder from in front of him, where it lay untouched.

With that, she quietly left his office. She went to her desk in a sort of daze and rummaged through her desk, pulling out anything that was hers and shoving it into her bag before leaving the building and heading for her car. She drove calmly all the way to the hospital, parked, and waited serenely in the elevator until it reached the eighth floor. She reached room 815 and silently closed the door behind her, sitting beside the bed and looking into the figured that lay sleeping under its sheets. A few minutes of perfect and uninterrupted silence went by before she broke into sobs.

She had good enough reasons to cry. It was as though everything that could have gone wrong had done so in the past week. She had moved out of the apartment that she shared with her friend Sango, and moved back into her mother's house until she could find a new place. When she got to her house, she discovered that her mother had a boyfriend. Her mother, _her mother_, had a boyfriend. The day after that, _her_ boyfriend and she had broken up. And now? 

Now, she was out of a job.

In reality, moving out of her apartment had been her own idea. Sango and her boyfriend were finally getting serious, and they wanted to move in together. Kagome had insisted that Sango keep the apartment, since on her own she would never have been able to pay rent. After some convincing, Sango had agreed to stay. Kagome's things were now in boxes strewn about her old bedroom at home.

As for her boyfriend? Well. She and Hojo had just been friends, but after knowing each other for a few years, decided to date. That was at the start of freshman year in college. Now she had graduated and was working. Hojo was sweet, and a really likeable guy, but she had never really loved him. It wasn't fair of her to lead him on any longer, so she had ended it with him. She felt better now, less guilty since she was no longer lying to him, but the absence of having someone by her side was getting to her. She was lonely. She missed having someone to turn to, someone to touch, someone to kiss.

But this was too much. Being unemployed and living with her mother and Miles, her mother's American boyfriend… she felt like she had failed in life.

Failed, failed completely. It had been the perfect job for her, too. It was a job doing exactly what she had wanted to do, for years – or it would have been, given a few years and a promotion here and there. It would have led her to greatness. It would have been the door to the world she had longed to be a part of since she had met her father. 

But it had been ripped away from her. 

The reasons didn't matter any more. She didn't want to be a part of something so vile, so _contemptible_, ever in her life. Her boss – former boss – that despicable, piggish exampled of a man, had not even looked at her ideas. He had just wanted… ugh.

She had reason enough to cry. Sobbing, trembling, choking over her tears, she knelt by the hospital bed. The salty droplets of her sorrow squeezed out from between her tightly closed lids. She cried until she was out of tears. She remained there for a long time afterwards, having taken a proper seat, and looking blankly at the small body lying in the hospital bed.

*

It was some time after midnight when she pulled up in the driveway of her house, noticing that her mother's car was not there. She and Miles were probably out. Grabbing her tote-bag from the passenger seat, she climbed out of the car and headed into the house. She tossed her things onto the couch in the living room and grabbed the cordless phone from where it had been left carelessly on the coffee table. After a moment's hesitation, she hit the 'talk' button and dialed.

After six rings, someone picked up. "Hello?" Came a groggy voice on the other end of the phone.

"Dad?" She said in a small voice.

"Kagome? What's wrong? It's almost two in the morning, baby." The man's voice was clearer now. He had woken up fully, it seemed.

She bit her lip and closed her eyes in thought. "Dad," she said finally, her voice no longer quavering. She had decided. It was crazy, it was stupid. It was something she needed to do. "I'm sorry for calling so late, but I have to tell you something…"

"Oh God," he said.

"I want to rent the apartment," she said.

"…Kagome. I thought you were going to tell me you didn't want to have anything to do with me. Don't do that to me, Frappie, you had me so worried." He sighed in relief and there was a long pause. "Which apartment?"

Kagome sat down on the couch, a smile on her face. "The one that you told me about, Dad. The one with the… the balcony and the blue bedroom…?"

Her father clicked his tongue. "I rented that one out a few weeks ago." He said nothing for a moment and she fought the desperate and illogical urge to cry. "If you're looking for a place though, you could move in with me, baby."

"Dad, that's not fair," she started. 

"As a roommate, Kagome. A rent-paying roommate." She was silent, mulling over the proposition. "Listen, you think about it, okay? Call me tomorrow and let me know."

"Alright," she said. "And Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Love you."

"Love you too, Frappie. Good night."

***

Kagome and her father rented a truck the next day and moved her boxes to his apartment. Her mother made a bit of a fuss, but let Kagome go, watching as the two drove off in separate cars: Kagome in her own car, and her father in the truck. They moved the boxes up to the large, spacey apartment, and he stood in her doorway, watching as she unpacked. She was given a half of the apartment that had stayed empty and unused since he had bought the apartment. 

Her half consisted of a bedroom with a full bathroom (and immense Jacuzzi-tub, much to her delight), and two other, far larger rooms and another smaller bathroom. Kagome had called Sango to ask her to bring her furniture, which she had left at their apartment since it would have been too much of a pain to move it twice, and Sango had brought it. They had invited Sango to stay, but she couldn't – her boyfriend was waiting in the truck. Kagome herself didn't have enough furniture to fill up the three rooms on her own, but she spread her things out between them and did the best she could to fill the space.

"Kagome?" Her father asked from his place at her bedroom door. "We need to decide on some rules." She looked up at him with a look of exasperation, but he started talking again before she could cut in to complain. "Rules between us as roommates," he said, "and rules between us as father and daughter." 

She nodded. They agreed on the house rules… most of which were basic rules that all roommates lived by. Respect each other's space, each other's things… distribution of chores, rent prices and the frequency of their delivery. The basics.

"As a parent," he said, holding up two fingers. "I have two rules. One," he ticked one finger off. "I respect that you're an individual person and can make your own choices. You can stay out as long as you like, but I must ask that you let me know if you aren't planning on coming home for the night." Kagome nodded, though a blush crept onto her cheeks when she realized what it was that he was implying.

"And secondly," he said, "Although I have no doubts about your integrity, it's sort of a requirement that I say this. No drugs in the house." Kagome rolled her eyes and he laughed. "Hey, it's not every day I get to act like a parent!"

*

Atsuo smiled to himself, watching as his daughter channel-surfed. She was enjoying the TV – it was, by all normal standards, huge. A mini-theater. With a little chuckle, he turned back to chopping onions. The kitchen had a window that served as a sort of bar, looking into the TV room. It was through this window that he happily watched his daughter.

He regretted being in absent in her life for so long. He and Honoe were not married when she had gotten pregnant, and she had rejected him when he proposed to her. He had loved her genuinely, at the time, and would have married her regardless of the pregnancy. She had pushed him away, however, and requested that he not involve himself with the baby. He had respected her wishes. And he hated himself for it.

He had met Kagome in a café. It was close to the high school that she attended at the time – unbeknownst to him – where they had first bumped into each other. He had been with a friend of his, a business partner, when he heard some girls a booth or two over giggling, and one had caught his attention.

_~"I can see it now!" came the excited voice of one of the high school girls. "Higurashi Kagome and Minazeki Hojo-kun, tied in marriage!"_

_"Mou, Yukaaaa, I swear that there is nothing going on between us! So leave me alone!"_ ~

The second girl had sounded sort of pissed off, and he saw one of the three of them stand, a deep frown on her face. She got up to leave, and his eyes stayed on her until just as she was walking by his booth, his friend spoke.

_~"Is the great Seitaka Atsuo falling for schoolgirls now? That'll be your downfall, you know."_

The girl had stopped moving immediately and turned around to look at him. Their names had caught each other's attention. It wasn't until Honoe's name came up that they were sure of their relation to each other.

He had met his daughter in a café. That was where his silly nickname for her came from – Frappie – since they had both been drinking frappuccinos when they met. It was pathetic and ironic at the same time… He had met Honoe in a café as well. 

He and Kagome started seeing each other every week, in addition to frequent phone calls. The two of them were ecstatic at the discovery of each other and grew close quickly. Honoe only found out that they had met when she picked up the phone to make a call and interrupted Atsuo in the middle of a comment on one of Kagome's complaints. She had recognized his voice immediately. And she had not been happy. 

"Frappie?" Atsuo called, washing his hands. "Set the table, will you?" He was answered by silence, and turned off the faucet. "Kagome?"

She said nothing, and he headed into the adjacent room where his daughter was seated on the fluffy blue couch. He approached and as he neared, heard quiet sobs erupting from her throat. Instinct taking over, he seated himself by her side and wrapped her arms around her. She curled into his lap and he rocked her back and forth, running a hand through her hair in an attempt to comfort her.  

He shushed her until her tears dried. She huddled against him and they sat in silence for a long time. He didn't ask what was wrong. She would tell him when she felt she could. "Are you still hungry, Fraps?"

Kagome nodded and followed after him to the kitchen, where they sat on the counter and ate from plastic dishes since neither felt like washing. Her eyes were puffy and red at the start of the meal, but by the time they had finished eating, she was in better spirits. If he was one thing, her father was funny. Not that he could possibly _be_ only _one_ thing – he was just such an amazing person in her eyes that there was no way to reduce him to a single quality… 

He had made her feel better. He had made her feel as though she had some value, instead of being the incredible loser she thought herself to be after the week she'd had. And he was right – she may have been in a low place, but there was no way she was going to stay in it. 

She would get out of this hole – claw her way out, if that's what it would take – and keep living her life. She was worth it, after all. Maybe having some fun tonight would do it – help her get in a good mind-set. She was planning on a new start. Things would start looking up, she was determined. 

Once the meal was over, she took a shower, changed into some nice clothes, and grabbed her house keys. "I'm going out!" she called into her father's bedroom, where he was seated on his bed, reading the newspaper. He grunted in response, and she left.

She was going out to celebrate. She was going to have a good time, if it killed her. '_Cheers'_, she thought. '_Here's to a new start'_.

***

Inuyasha looked to his left. Inuyasha looked to his right. He sighed and stood up, the two girls that had been seated on either side of him tumbling to the ground with undignified squeals. They giggled like idiots and climbed back onto the red lounge couch, grabbing the closest guy they could and flirting like harlots, oblivious to their smeared lipstick and the dark, mascara-induced circles under their eyes. 

The music thrummed throughout the dimly lit room, the pounding baseline buzzing through the speakers and shaking the polished wooden floor. He made his way through the throngs of people that milled about, dancing, chatting, drinking, making out. He was looking for someone in particular inside the faceless figures that moved around the room. Inuyasha found him dancing with an anonymous girl who looked like she was the target of the night. Inuyasha grabbed his arm and hauled him out of the main room, into one of the back rooms which were mini-lounges that the club owners rented out. Nobody was supposed to go into them without having paid of for them, but it wasn't as though Inuyasha cared.

Inuyasha didn't _make_ the rules; he broke them. 

"_Inuyasha_."

"Shut up, Miroku," Inuyasha barked gruffly. "Look, man, I've been thinking –"

Miroku's hands went up to his head, his fingers grabbing a hold of his skull through his thick, chocolate-brown locks. "_Oh my LORD,_ Inuyasha. I was going in for the kill there, with that girl… Mizuna,"

"Mizuki," Inuyasha corrected absently.

"Right, whatever. I was going in for the kill there, ready to take her home and enjoy my last night of freedom, and you interrupted me because you've been _thinking_? I'm _screwed_ now, and not in the way I'd _like_."

"Are you drunk?" Inuyasha asked, looking at his friend with faintly masked concern.

"Slightly," Miroku responded, his usually bright violet eyes clouded and peeking out at from under his thick lashes.

Inuyasha groaned and glanced at his watch. He grimaced. It was almost three in the morning. "Look, man, I'm going to take you home. It's late, and you're drunk. Let's go,"

"_Inuyasha_!" He cried in exasperation.

"If you're that desperate to get laid, I'll call Yura for you. She's obsessed with you as it is so there's no problem, right?"

"Not _Yura_," Miroku scoffed. "Give me _two_ minutes. All I need is two minutes. Two minutes?" When Inuyasha nodded, Miroku dashed from the room, calling "Two minutes," over his shoulder. 

Inuyasha scoffed and was about to leave, when the door was roughly pushed open and a girl's body went tumbling into the room. She made pained sounds as her body struck the ground, and a tall man with shaggy blonde hair and a set of very wide shoulders stalked into the room. The blonde man did not see Inuyasha and stalked toward his prey, crumpled up on the ground in a tangle of limbs and raven black locks.

"You stupid _bitch_," he ground out. "Nobody says no to me – and _nobody_ humiliates me in front of my friends."

He was about to descend over her, when Inuyasha snapped out of his initial frozen state of shock and landed one square on the blond guy's jaw. Violence was not tolerated in the club, but hey, Inuyasha didn't make the rules. Before the blonde man could recuperate enough to launch a counterattack, Inuyasha knocked him another good one. His opponent crashed into the wall and fell to the ground, knocked out.

Inuyasha looked down at the girl that was now sitting on the ground, and felt overwhelmed. He scooped her into his arms, somewhat impulsively, and looked around the room, at a loss for what to do. He saw a small black purse lying on the ground not too far from her assailant's body and grabbed it as well, flinging it over onto the presumably unconscious girl's stomach in an awkward maneuver. 

When he left, Inuyasha found Miroku standing glumly by the door. "Thanks to you, I lost my chance, you prick." Inuyasha snorted at this, and Miroku looked up at him. He saw the girl in his friend's arms, her long dark tresses dangling over Inuyasha's shoulder, and arm. "Who's the chick?"

"Don't know. Have a look in her purse, would you? I'll drop her off once I get you home." 

"Ooooh no you don't, you sly dog you," Miroku said, waving a finger in front Inuyasha's face, but grabbing the girl's purse anyway. "_She_ will be staying at your apartment tonight, as will I. If I can't get laid tonight, I might as well do the next manly thing and play video games and drink beer all night." He slapped Inuyasha on the back and the two headed out to the car. "Besides. Do you want to explain to her parents why she's knocked out and driving around with two guys they don't know?"

Inuyasha barked a laugh and shook his head. "You sit with her in the back. We can leave her in Rin's old room. And then, Miroku, we can kick out the Heinekens, and I will _kick_ your ass in Soul Caliber."

Miroku laughed with an air of superiority and mumbled, "you wish" under his breath before climbing into the car with the dark haired young lady. In the few brief instants when Inuyasha's door was open and the car lights were on automatically, Miroku was able to see the girl clearly. She had long black eyelashes that curled onto the soft, pale skin of her cheek. She was bare of makeup, he noticed, except for some clear lip gloss which had been smeared a little in the process of moving her. Her cheeks were a little pink – she might have been drinking before. Her neck was long and connected with slim shoulders and feminine arms with dainty hands at their ends. And those *_breasts*_ – 

"Miroku – touch her, and _die_," said Inuyasha, closing his car door and rendering all around them dark once more. Miroku looked down and the youthful beauty in his arms and saw that her skin glowed slightly, reflecting the pale lights seeping into the car from the lampposts in the parking lot.

***

The front door to the two-story apartment closed, and Sesshoumaru set his bags down, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly. He grabbed his suitcases once more and trudged up the stairs with them, tossing them onto his bed along with his jacket. He heard sounds coming from the other room. He glanced at the clock. It was almost seven. What was Inuyasha doing up this early?

He left his room and wandered into the room next door, to see something that didn't really surprise him in the least. Inuyasha and Miroku were sleeping, Miroku slumped over the couch, Inuyasha all over the floor. They were surrounded with empty beer bottles, and the TV was on. They had been playing video games of some sort. Sesshoumaru snorted. It figured that the Detestably Dumb Duo would have been wasting their time in such ridiculously childish endeavors.

With a swift kick to his brother's prone form, he growled, "You, fool, get up."

Inuyasha awoke to a loss of air and a sharp pain in his side. Sesshoumaru was home, or so it seemed. "Hi to you too," he mumbled and moved into a sitting position. A hand went immediately to his head. He felt the beginning signs of a well-deserved headache. Well-deserved because he'd been stupid enough to try to out-drink Miroku. "Shiiiiiiit," he hissed, pressing his fingers to his temples. "I feel like my head's gonna bust," he grumbled, and then his eyes widened. "Oh fuck!"

Sesshoumaru watched with slight amusement as his brother stumbled to his feet and tripped over a stray Heineken bottle. He recovered his balance and then kicked Miroku in the side much the same way that Sesshoumaru had done to him, and hissed out something along the lines of "_Wake up, shithead!_" How vulgar.

Miroku snapped awake and followed a hasty Inuyasha in barreling past Sesshoumaru and down the hall. Sesshoumaru followed with mild interest which increased tenfold when they slung open the door to Rin's old bedroom. The both of them sighed and looked relieved. 

"Stay there for a sec, Miroku. I'm gonna take a shower. Fuckin' smell like beer."

Miroku entered the room and Sesshoumaru approached the doorway. He looked inside to see Miroku seated by the bed, which held the frail-looking body of a girl. She was wearing a small black skirt and discreet pumps, along with a tasteful blue halter top. A girl that they had picked up at a party? She looked considerably more well-dressed than the other whores that Inuyasha and Miroku were prone to sleeping with.

"What happened to her?" Sesshoumaru asked, his voice just a notch quieter.

Miroku looked up at him, a little startled. "Pretty, isn't she?" he asked and looked back down at her. He reached his hand out and tenderly touched her face with the pads of his fingers before wiping the slightly smeared lip gloss from her chin and upper lip.

"You didn't answer my question," Sesshoumaru said, frowning. 

A small, sly smile spread over Miroku's face and he held Sesshoumaru's gaze for a moment. "You haven't answered mine." He turned back to the girl.

_'Ah yes_.That_ question'_. Sesshoumaru's frown deepened a little bit. He watched as Miroku seemed to come to his senses and stood up. The dark haired man stood and stretched, thumbing his left earlobe and playing with the two golden loops that pierced it, looking at the woman before him while deep in thought. He reached up and rubbed the single piercing in his right ear as well before moving to the girl's feet and removing her shoes. 

This was a sensible idea on the idiot's part, Sesshoumaru observed. The woman's feet would undoubtedly hurt, after spending the night sleeping in pumps. He watched as Miroku grabbed the quilt from at the foot of the bed and placed it over her. He watched as Miroku went to the woman's purse, located her cell phone, and watched as he thumbed through the text messages that she had been sent. Three were from the same phone number that had registered twice under "missed calls". 

Sesshoumaru watched as Miroku took care to write down the girl's cell number on a piece of scratch paper and listened as Miroku explained that it was so he could call her later to see that she was alright. He watched as Miroku flipped through the girl's wallet looking for an ID or a home address. He watched, and wondered how many times the man had done this before.

Inuyasha walked in a few minutes later and Miroku was about to leave to commandeer the shower when there was a gasping intake of breath and the girl shot into a sitting position, conscious at last. 

She looked gorgeous. Her skin was white, white, and a stark contrast to her black tresses. Inuyasha looked at her, as her impossibly large blue eyes darted around the room. Her plump, pink lips parted as though she was about to speak, her eyes watery and a hand on one of her arms, her hair falling around her messily and a little in front of her face as well. "Where am I?" She blinked a few times, and her big blue eyes focused on Inuyasha. "Aren't you… from last night…?" 

He felt suddenly uncomfortable under her gaze, and shifted a little nervously. "Yeah… I took care of that guy for you. Are you alright?"

She nodded and a smile lit on her face. "I'm alright. Thank you," she said, her eyes never straying from Inuyasha's. The intensity of her gaze made Inuyasha just a little more uncomfortable, but he managed a genuine, fangy grin and inclined his head. 

"Miss? If I might interrupt, what is your name?"

She blinked, startled, and looked over at Miroku. Her head cocked to the side just a little bit, and she responded softly. "Higurashi Kagome."

Miroku nodded. "Pleased to meet you, Kagome-san, I'm Kugeki Miroku. This is my friend Youtoru Inuyasha, and that's his older half-brother Youtoru Sesshoumaru." He gestured to each and then handed her the cell phone he had taken from her purse. "You might want to call home. We'll give you a ride back."

Kagome blushed and nodded, taking her phone. "Thank you, Kugeki-san." Her eyes were now on him, locked on his violet eyes with the intensity that they had had when she had thanked Inuyasha. Those amazing, powerful blue orbs shifted to Sesshoumaru and she regarded him silently for a moment. Her eyes went back to Inuyasha and she smiled again. "I'll make you all breakfast," she chirped cheerfully and stood, folding the quilt and placing it at the foot of the bed as she spoke. "I owe it to you all after you took care of me last night."

The three men blinked a little and she wove a path through them and out the door of the bedroom. A small blush crept onto her face and she asked where the kitchen was. Inuyasha pointed the way and she thanked him before heading down the stairs to cook them all breakfast.

"What happened to her?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"She was getting knocked around by some guy at the club last night. The way I understood things, he must've asked her to dance and she turned him down. He was about to rape her. Really, if I hadn't been there…" Inuyasha trailed off with a growl.

Miroku let out a low whistle and Sesshoumaru snorted, excusing himself to take a shower and unpack his luggage. Miroku headed towards Inuyasha's room and commandeered the bathroom, readying himself for a well-deserved hot shower. He turned the shower on and let the water run a bit so that it could heat up. A small sigh escaped his lips as he thought about the delectable beauty that was cooking him up a meal at that precise moment. 

He smiled ruefully. In another day, another life, perhaps. There was no way he would be able to approach her now. The day prior would have been a different story – but the moment that the sun rose in the east to signal the start of the new day, his options had been cut. He was now a man chained. Women's bodies were no longer his to explore at leisure. He had lost his freedom.

Inuyasha stood alone in the hall, awkwardly, before heading down the stairs to keep the girl company. She was really very pretty, he thought. The short length of the skirt and the lot cut of her shirt helped a bit, but on her own she was very pretty. He walked into the kitchen and stood silently in the door, watching her as she moved about, enjoying the view as she bent over to open and search through cabinets, and smiling as he heard her begin to hum a nonsensical ditty while she worked.

"Who was that guy?" he asked suddenly, startling her into almost dropping a pan onto the ground. She looked over at him with a look that said 'don't scare me like that', and went back to what she was doing. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and repeated in a quieter tone, "Who was that guy?"

She set the pan down on the stove and made her way to the refrigerator. "He was my boss."

"Was?" 

She chopped up some onions and tomatoes and green peppers and cracked some eggs into the mix before pouring it into the pan. "I got fired because I wouldn't sleep with him," she replied as though it wasn't important. "Would you mind watching the eggs for me? I have to call my father."

***

When Kagome got home, she went immediately to her room and locked the door behind her. Her father had been upset, understandably, but he had been so grateful for her safety that he promised not to kill her. He was at work when she called, and he hadn't been able to stay long on the phone with her. She ate the eggs with Inuyasha and Miroku. Sesshoumaru never went down for breakfast and Miroku explained that this was most likely due to his just returning from a long trip and needing to catch up on missed sleep. Inuyasha had driven her home – Miroku had come along because he needed a ride to his apartment – and she had thanked them again.

Now she sat there, alone, locked in her room. Her mind drifted to her failed attempt at having a good time the night before. She just _had _to choose the club that her former boss went to, didn't she? It was all just such a _mess_…

She had been evicted from her last apartment, come home to find her mother dating a foreigner, broken up with her boyfriend, moved in with her father, almost been raped by the boss that fired her for not sleeping with him, and was short on a car since she had left it at the club.

She had plenty of reasons to cry.

**_In Chapter Two:_**

      _When he had kissed her, this was the last thing that he expected… Shock registered on her face when she saw them hand in hand…   "Surely you don't mean _my_ Rin, father. That would be an utter disgrace!"    It was the last thing that they expected, but it made perfect sense.   Inuyasha pushed him and smiled with satisfaction when the smell of blood hit his nose…_

*

**AN** Howdy!! This is it, folks! Chapter one, the first installment of "Inertia". Yeehaw. Say it with me, 'yeeeeeehaw!!'. That's good. One more time? 'YEEEEHAW'.

Anyway. Some info you all might like to know!!! THIS is in fact a love shape. It could end up either I/K, M/K, or S/K (in alphabetical order)… or a combination of any two. Hah! THAT would be interesting. 

It's an AU, as I'm sure you noticed from the summary or from just reading the story itself. ALSO, I need help thinking of a better summary. If you've any ideas, lemme know.

And… yeah. REVIEW!!!!


	2. A Business Dinner

Disclaimer: See Author Profile.

Rating: R, for language and eventually for adult situations.

Summary: Kagome has just had about the worst week in her life. Throw in a dramatic rescue involving three very good-looking guys… and things just might start improving. [AU][Kag/Inu/Mir/Sess ??]

Inertia is defined as "Resistance or disinclination to motion, action, or change" (Webster's Dictionary).

Iron Lotus presents:

Inertia

Chapter Two:

A Business Dinner

         Sesshoumaru awoke to the sound of aggravated voices coming from the floor below. He stood and rubbed his eyes in an aggravated gesture before leaving his room and heading to the source of the voices. It sounded like Inuyasha was speaking at the moment, his gruff voice barking out poorly articulated thoughts punctuated regularly with vulgar slang and curse words. Sesshoumaru grimaced. His brother was really all too… uncouth, to put it lightly.

         He was greeted by the sight of the two arguing males the moment he made it down the stairs. Both halted their discussions and turned, having heard Sesshoumaru's almost inaudible steps heading their way. Inuyasha grunted.

         "Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru said in greeting before turning to the other man. "Hello Father."

         The taller one of the two smiled, his face still smooth and golden eyes bright, despite his age. Much like his two sons, Youtoru Sessue possessed the particular coloring that seemed to be a characteristic of their family alone. His hair was an interesting color somewhere between silver and white, shiny and thick and gorgeous, falling silkily over his back in the small pony tail he had at the nape of his neck. His eyes were the exact shade of the gold that the yellow part of amber had – it had darkened a little with age. 

         "I have some excellent news for you, Sesshoumaru, so I'm glad you decided to join us. Have a seat with your brother," Sessue said, his smile broadening.

         "_Half brother," they both corrected absently. "Don't get your hopes up," Inuyasha mumbled to him as he seated himself on the black leather couch. "When was the last time the geezer gave us good news?"_

         "Inuyasha," their father said in a warning tone. "As celebration," he began, "for a very successful merger, I will be taking a trip to France and visiting your uncle."

         "And what does that have to do with us?" Inuyasha asked, looking puzzled.

         "Well, my absence just happens to coincide with a business dinner that I will, lamentably, not be able to attend. _So_, here's the good news: the two of you get to go in my stead!" He clapped his hands together and his broad grin turned just a little sly.

         Inuyasha took a moment to process this new information. "Waiwaiwait. This is… you know, a black tie thing, right? There's no way I'm going to wear a _tux_." 

         Sesshoumaru shook his head let out an exasperated sigh. Inuyasha could be such an idiot. He was about to file his own, far more legitimate protest, but Sessue continued speaking. "It's just a cocktail affair really, so there won't be any need for you all to talk shop in my place. Oh, and if the both of you don't go with dates, I'll be labeled as a failure in raising my children and will have to destroy you both bit by bit. Understood?"

         Sessue was far more actively reverent of the female form than either of his sons. He, much like Miroku (whom he happened to like and approve of greatly), spent the majority of his free time – whether it be seconds or an actual legitimate break – hounding attractive women. His sons were slightly perturbed by his lecherous habits: Sesshoumaru was appalled by his lack of discretion, and Inuyasha found it hard to respect a man that spent his entire life groping women. Somehow Miroku had attained that respect, though, which accounted for their close friendship.

          Inuyasha groaned. A date. He needed a _date. Who would he be able to ask for said date? He sifted through the women's names that popped into his head. There weren't that many women that he would be able to take to an official function. Most were just… too cheap. That was when a name occurred to him. The perfect woman to take to one of these _stupid_ parties. He smiled victoriously. _

         "Thought of someone, Inuyasha?" Sessue said, having noticed the brightening of his son's countenance.

         "Kikyo," Inuyasha replied, eliciting a groan from his father. He should have figured. Well, there was always the highly unrealistic dream that Inuyasha would go and find himself the perfect woman at one of these functions. As if. Sessue snorted.

         "And you, Sesshoumaru?" Now _this_, he thought, would be interesting.

         Sesshoumaru finished pleating his knee-length hair and flipped the braid behind his shoulder before turning to look at his father's hopeful face. "Rin."

         _Holy Lord, Sessue thought with an overwhelming feeling of despair. _My children are hopeless.__

         "Are you kidding?" came the soft voice from the other end of the phone. "I would _love to!" _

         Sesshoumaru and Rin had an interesting relationship. She was the daughter of one of his father's friends. Rin's parents had died in an allegedly orchestrated automobile accident – though nothing was ever proven – when she was just sixteen. Sessue took her in, since he had been named her Godfather, and she had lived with them until she turned nineteen and moved out for college. Although they had offered to provide for her, she had refused their aide and had paid her own way through.

         She and Sesshoumaru had become extremely close friends, and she followed him everywhere. Somewhere in her second year living with them, Rin's affections became more amorous than sisterly. She admitted what she felt for him one night when Inuyasha had gone out and Sessue was abroad. Sesshoumaru had been at a loss. He had grown fond of the petite bundle of energy, but he had never felt that way toward her. More out of curiosity than of any actual affection, he had captured her lips with his own. 

         When he had kissed her, this was the last thing that he had expected. He had expected that the originally innocent kiss would have ended and he would be sure that he didn't want her. But somehow the contact of her their lips ignited the sparks between them. The kiss became slow and tantalizing. Hands roamed everywhere. One thing had led to another, and she had ended up spending the night in his bed.

         Nobody had ever found out about that night. Rin and Sesshoumaru had been unable to look at each other for a week afterwards before they could talk about it. Placing a fragile hand on his shoulder, she had said, "_Before you say anything, Sesshoumaru, I need to tell you something. You don't love me_."

         It had been the truth. Their relationship took three months before it healed completely. Their bond had deepened into one of best friends, of brother and sister. Sesshoumaru had the inkling that there might still be some of those old _forbidden_ feelings on her part, but since hadn't made to act on them, he had disregarded the idea. 

He took her with him to all formal affairs that required a date simply so he could avoid the hassle of actually trying to choose a date from the mobs of women that longed for the honor. She even had a dress dedicated solely to these occasions. She called it the Dinner Date dress, and it was her uniform for these parties. Her boyfriend thought her having one was hilarious – and Rin had commented in passing that he liked taking that dress off of her more than seeing her in it.

So once again, she was being his savior. He owed her infinitely for it, but she insisted that going was a pleasure in its own and payment enough. And thus, he could relax knowing full well that he was set for going to his father's damn dinner.

Miroku looked lovingly at the slightly tanned skin of her long, pretty legs, following them up to her well-rounded bottom and the smooth expanse of her back. One of his fingers trailed up her spine and she giggled, goose-bumps popping up on her arms. His nimble fingers intertwined themselves in her long, jet black hair, enjoying the smooth, silky texture of the stick-straight strands. His eyes then wandered over her form again, and a sly smile spread over his face. "Good morning to you too."

She laughed, a bright blush spreading over her cheeks. "Shut up."

"Hey, that was the best welcome-home I've ever gotten. I'll be sure to stay out all night again tomorrow too, if this is the punishment I get!" 

"_Miroku!" She gasped. "Stop teasing, you pervert."_

It was his turn to laugh, and he hugged her body to his with one arm as he rearranged the sheets over them. He had gotten home and she had pounced on him like a panther. A panther in heat, apparently, since she had been the one, oddly enough, to initiate their little escapade that morning.

"Ne, Sango-chan," he said, breathing onto her shoulder. "What was the name of that friend of yours? The one that moved out."

"Hmm? What about Kagome-chan?"

"Nothing… just wanted to thank her again for giving me this glorious opportunity," he said, kissing her neck. He had moved in with Sango a few days before, when Kagome had originally moved out. It was ironic, really, that the woman that had tempted him the night before was in fact the best friend of the woman he was now living with. It was fortunate, then, that he hadn't attempted to put the moves on her. If Sango had found out… It would be better that he tell her now about his adventures the night before. Just in case Kagome-san decided to tell Sango and made her get the wrong impression.

Sango's nails dragged lazily up and down the arm that encircled her body. A small frown spread over her face. "Kagome-chan… she's been having a really tough time lately…"

"What's her last name?" he asked, a little randomly.

"Higurashi," she supplied. "Why?"

Miroku put on a thoughtful frown. "It's sort of interesting. Last night Inuyasha and I went out to see if we could get him a date for a dinner his father has planned for tonight. And there was this girl that he sort of rescued from peril," he chuckled. Sessue had told him about the party a few days before when Miroku had stopped by the apartment. "We took her to Inuyasha's place since we didn't know where she lived… anyway, her name is also Higurashi Kagome. And she lives in the same apartment complex that we moved your Kagome's things into the day before. Think it's the same one?"  
  


Sango laughed. "Probably," she said. A moment later, she asked, "Was she a little drunk?" When she felt Miroku nod, a little frown spread over her face. "Figures."

Miroku made an inquisitive little sound before he locked his lips to the junction of her neck and shoulder and slowly began to suck on her tender flesh. "She broke up with her boyfriend a few days ago. She didn't love him or anything, but she was attached to the relationship."

His lips detached from her skin with a small smacking sound, and he rolled out of bed. "I'm going to call and make sure she's okay. Then let's go out for lunch, alright?"

Sango smiled and agreed. Really, Miroku was just perfect. With a contented sigh, she headed for the bathroom and started running the shower water. 

Miroku dug through his wallet for the small sheet of paper where he had copied Kagome's cell number. After a pair of rings, he heard a groggy voice greet him on the other end.

"'Gome speaking."

"Ahh… hello, Kagome-san. This is Miroku, from earlier?"

"Oh, hey Miroku-san. What can I do for you?" She seemed more awake then.

"I just wanted to be sure that you got in alright."

There was a brief paused and a shaky little sigh. "Yeah," she murmured in response. "Yeah, I got in fine."

Miroku wasn't convinced. "Are you sure? You sound a little…"

"No, I'm fine, really. It was really nice for you to call, Miroku-san. I appreciate it. But I, uhm… I have to go. I'll see you later, okay?"

A small frown tugged on his lips. "Sure. You have my number, right? Call if you need anything."

There was a pause. "Alright. Yeah… Bye. Oh, and thanks."

He wasn't quite sure what to think when he hung up. She had sounded a little distraught, and Miroku was a sucker when it came to damsels in distress. He thought about hopping in his car and going to visit, but he refrained from doing so – he was involved with Sango, who happened to be the damsel's close friend, and his strong sense of loyalty kept him from following his instinct. He was with Sango – Higurashi Kagome would have to deal with her problems on her own. 

Unless, of course, she _asked_ him for help. Who was he to deny her comfort, if she was willing to voice the words?

"So you're not doing anything tonight?" Inuyasha asked her in the most casual tone he could muster.

Kikyo looked up at him, an amused glint in her eyes. She smiled a sad smile and nodded. "I'm free."

"I'll pick you up at seven then. It's one of Dad's dinners… a cocktail. You know, formal."

The young librarian nodded again and turned back to the books she was filing onto the shelves. She knew, of course, that Inuyasha was required to take a woman on his arm for these sorts of occasions, but she was glad that although he had no option in taking a girl, she had been his first choice. It meant a lot to her – it proved their friendship. There was a sort of mutual understanding between the two. They weren't very close physically – the most contact that the two had had was the innocent brushing of skin on cloth as they spent these cocktails arm in arm. Emotionally, however, they were reliant upon each other to no end.

Inuyasha had turned to her during the worst periods of his life, and now she was his permanent source of salvation. There existed no love between them, but a bond closer. She had been a pillar of support, something constant in his life when everything around him changed. He needed her. And she, in turn, needed him. 

Even more-so recently, she needed him, when her boyfriend Onigumo had gotten in a terrible car accident. She spent most of her time at the hospital except for the time at work in the library, and Inuyasha went to see her each day to make sure she was alright. He had never really liked that Onigumo character, but that was Kikyo's choice to make, not his. She needed his support, and maybe taking her to this dinner would help her to take her mind off of her troubles.

It was the least he could do, after all. 

Waving a good-bye to Kikyo, he left the library. He was supposed to drive his father to the airport about a half hour ago, and he knew that the old man would be wigging out because of his prolonged absence, but he didn't care. Inuyasha and his father would be at odds half of the way to the airport and then the old man would grow tired of the silence and strike up a conversation – one about women, most likely. It was the way things always went.

Sure enough, when Inuyasha reached his house, there was Sessue, at the door with his bags and a fierce scowl on his face.

"Where the _blazes have you been, boy?"_

Uh-oh. It was worse than it seemed. Inuyasha's father only called him "boy" if he had done something especially bad. He was in for it now.

         Feebly, Inuyasha served up an excuse. "I got stuck in traffic…"

         The old man opened the trunk of Inuyasha's big red SUV, and tossed his bags in without another word. They both got into the car and Inuyasha drove.

         Silence prevailed most of the way through. Inuyasha was dreading that it would never end. 

They pulled up at a red light. "Look at the tail-feathers on _that one!" Sessue cried, pointing at a woman crossing the street. She was tall with bleach blond hair and a skirt so small it wasn't even there. "What I wouldn't do to get a woman like _that_ into bed with me."_

Inuyasha groaned and rolled his eyes. "_Dad_… _too much information."_

Atsue knocked on Kagome's door and tapped his foot anxiously, waiting for her to open it. When she did, he grabbed onto her hands and clasped them tightly in his own. "Frappie, I need to ask you to do me a favor."

Kagome was taken aback by her father's behavior. He sounded desperate. "What happened?" She asked, her tone laden with worry.

Groaning, Atsue walked into her room and sat himself down on her neatly made bed. "I need you to be my date for a dinner tonight." At hearing his daughter grunt, he pressed on. "My date cancelled on me because her sister just went into labor… please, Frappie, do this for me?"

Kagome sighed and a small smile tugged on her lips. "How long do I have to get ready?"

"About ten minutes?"

"WHAT!?!?"

Kagome and her father walked arm in arm into the ballroom that had been prepared for the night's event. It had taken Kagome just under a half an hour to get ready for the party, and they had arrived fashionably late. She had a dress on hand – a small black one – that Sango had given her as a birthday present a year or so back. It was slinky, clinging to her curves, with spaghetti straps and a slight flare to the skirt, making it perfect for twirling in… in private. It was a bit too short for twirling in public. 

She walked a little self-consciously by Atsue's side as he led her around, introducing her to some men that he worked closely with – business associates. The mingling was just about to drive her insane when she heard her father's voice directed at her. "Darling," he said, "Stand up. Some people just got here that I would like for you to meet." She stood, grudgingly at best, and pasted a smile on her face before looking up to see who it was that she was being ushered toward. Her eyes widened in surprise. 

"Let me guess – that rascal of your father ditched you and left you two to come in his place, eh?" Atsue said, hitting the younger of the two on the arm in a familiar gesture. "Where are your dates?"

 "In the Ladies' room," said one of them, his eyes directed straight at Kagome.

"Frappie, darling, I want you to meet the sons of one of my better friends, Youtoru Sesshoumaru and Youtoru Inuyasha. Gentlemen, this is my daughter Kagome. She moved in with me recently."

There they stood, in their vertically gifted glory, black suits, and silvery hair cascading loosely down their backs. Both of their golden eyes were riveted on Kagome's, Inuyasha's with a slight bit more surprise than his brother's. Sesshoumaru extended a hand and took Kagome's in it, bringing it up to his lips to brush her knuckles in a slight kiss.

         "Pleased to meet you, miss. I've heard you make an excellent omelet." The slow blush that had crept onto Kagome's face was coloring a little redder now, but more so from embarrassment than anything else. Sesshoumaru was tempted to smirk, but restrained himself.

Inuyasha imitated his brother's gesture and nodded shyly. "Hey."

         "Nice to meet you," she replied with a smile. Grabbing her father's hand, she tugged his arm. "If you'd excuse us for a moment," she said, and pulled him away from the two.

         Rin and Kikyo walked out of the restroom together and split up, looking for their dates amidst the crowd of men, all dressed alike. Rin pushed her way through a bunch of people and walked around aimlessly, searching out Sesshoumaru. A young woman in a small black dressed passed by in front of her, with a man that she recognized in tow. Shock registered on her face when she saw them hand in hand.

         "Atsue?" Rin asked, feeling a knot tie up in her stomach.

         The man heard his name and looked up. Surprised, he murmured, "Rin, what are you doing here?" 

         She felt a rush of heat fly into her face. Desperate not to make a scene, she approached and hissed out angrily, "I'm doing Sesshoumaru a favor. What are _you doing here? And who is __she?" She sent a venomous look over at the girl, feeling jealousy taking control. The girl was young, maybe a few years younger than she was, tastefully dressed, and beautiful._

         Atsue put up a hand and exhaled slowly. "Okay, before any misunderstandings happen here… Rin, this is my daughter Kagome. Frappie, this is Rin. My girlfriend."

         Rin felt sheepish. She stuck a hand out to Kagome, expecting her to take it, but got nothing in response. Looking up, she saw the dazed expression on then girl's face. Kagome looked up at her father and hissed through clenched teeth. "You have a girlfriend."

         Atsue nodded. 

         Taking in a deep breath, Kagome took Rin's hand and shook it; a smile on her face that neither Rin nor Atsue were sure was sincere. "Pleased to meet you. I see the two of you have things to work out, so if you'll excuse me." 

         They watched as she fled from them, her strappy black heals making determined little clicks as she walked away. Rin turned to Atsue and smiled a genuine smile. "Hey," she said, and the shared a tender kiss. "This was the dinner that you invited me to?"

         Atsue laughed sheepishly and she apologized. She had only cancelled on him because she had thought it was a private affair for the both of them that could have been postponed, and not an official function. If she had known, she would have told Sesshoumaru to shove it, and gone with her boyfriend. But alas, it had not been so. 

         "Let's get something to drink, mm?" Atsue asked, placing a hand tenderly on her arm and leading her on the drinks table. 

         Kagome stepped out onto the balcony and the cool night air hit her skin immediately, causing a chill to run up her spine. '_Well_!' She thought. This was certainly news. The thought had never occurred to her that her father would have a girlfriend. There was something bizarre and uncomfortable about the idea – like it was wrong. This made no sense, of course, since her mother was dating Miles – a foreigner, no less. Somehow, though…

         It could have been that this Rin girl was her age – maybe a little older. Her father was easily old enough to have been Rin's father as well, but there the two were, _romantically involved. And probably having sex. She shuddered at the thought._

         "Cold?"

         She turned around and saw Sesshoumaru standing there, a pair of drinks in his hands. "I thought my date might have been out here, but it seems that she's not. Drink?" He extended a hand and she took the champagne glass from it, taking a small sip.

         "Thanks," she said, giving him an earnest smile. "I needed a drink." He said nothing in reply, but leaned against the rail on the balcony, looking out over the gardens. The night sky was filled with tiny little stars, but they were not shining brightly enough for it to be a good night for stargazing. They stood in silence for a while, the breeze hitting her already cold skin and making her even more uncomfortable.

         "Can you believe that he has a _girlfriend_? It's like… it's just so unbelievable. I mean, you'd never think…" she burst out. 

         "Who?" Sesshoumaru asked, more for her sake than for any actual curiosity.

         "My _father_," she said, stressing the word. "It's so unnatural."

         He raised a sculpted eyebrow and turned his intense gaze upon her face. "I don't see why it would be. Your father is a sensible man with reasonably good taste. There's no reason why he wouldn't have one."

         She frowned, but it slowly turned into a pout as the infallibility of his logic hit her square in the face. "But she's _my age_. I don't see how he could possibly be dating – and _sleeping with – a girl who is young enough to be his daughter." At his silence, she continued, a little more thoughtfully. "She __did seem nice though, if a little bit possessive," she sighed. "Rin… I wonder what her last name is?"_

         At this, Sesshoumaru straightened. He looked at her almost analytically, and then excused himself to go inside. It wasn't until he left that Kagome noticed how close he had been to her before. His body had radiated warmth, and coupled with his proximity, she had been almost comfortably warm. The sudden absence of his body caused her to get chills all through hers.

         A sigh escaped her lips, and she glanced around at the scenery before heading back inside, the drained glass of champagne still in her hand. He was handsome. That long, gorgeous hair, the intensity of his eyes, his finely sculpted features, his height… oh yes, he was attractive. 

         And just as likely, he was attached. He and his brother alike, she supposed. A small smile played upon her lips as she approached another gentleman and tapped him on the shoulder. "Excuse me, Inuyasha?"

         Sesshoumaru paced angrily in the hotel lobby. His cellphone was held up to his ear as he waited impatiently for his father to pick up the phone. When he did, Sesshoumaru heard a sleepy grumble, "Do you know what _time it is?"_

         Ignoring his father's comment, Sesshoumaru barked out, "Does Atsue have a girlfriend?"

         "Seitaka Atsue? Oh, eh… as a matter of fact, he does. Um… Rin, as it would happen."

         "Surely you don't mean _my_ Rin, father. That would be an utter disgrace!" He growled out. "I'd like to know why you didn't see fit to inform me of this. The man is old enough to be her _father, for heaven's sake."_

         "As a matter of fact, Sesshoumaru –"

         Sesshoumaru hung up the phone and walked angrily back into the ballroom. It took very little effort, but he found them. The two were sitting at a table, talking together, her hands enclosed in his. It was a sickening sight. He was upset. He had known that Rin was dating, of course, but he had not known _who_. He had assumed that the girl would have enough sense to be able to select a fine man to be her partner, but apparently he had assumed too highly.

         Kagome had been right, apparently. It was unnatural. Illogical. He would have to speak with Rin seriously when he drove her home… 

         Would he be the one driving her home tonight? Or would she be returning home with the old man? He did recall her stating that her boyfriend loved to take that particular dress off of her, though the memory disgusted him in the current context.

         In an odd moment of compassion, he pitied Kagome. Heavens knew what it would be like for her to wake up the following morning to see the two of them together. Rin, he thought, dressed in _that man's shirt. Sesshoumaru suppressed a shudder and returned to the balcony. He felt a twinge of disappointment when he saw that the woman he had accompanied there before was no longer leaning against the balcony. The feeling didn't linger._

         Inuyasha woke up with the sun shining down over his face. He was warm, he noticed immediately, and not just from the sun. A glance downward revealed a head on his chest, its dark hair splayed over a bare, feminine back almost as pale as his sheets. A little grin played on his lips in recollection of the previous night's events, and he closed his eyes once more.

         His room was rather big for a bedroom, with plenty of floor space. The wall opposite his door was covered entirely with windows, whose curtains were open, letting warm sunlight flood the room. His bed was king-sized, covered normally by a black comforter and a dozen or so pillows which were at present strewn on the ground at the foot of the bed. The clock on his nightstand buzzed when the digital numbers reached 12:30. 

         One of his hands slapped down on the alarm clock automatically, turning it off. Yawning, Inuyasha opened his eyes once more. He looked down, and the woman he had lain with had rolled over and was turned away from him, with her back pressed close to his side. He was about to reach over and wake her, but his bedroom phone started to ring. 

         Groaning, he picked it up. "Mmmffffffhhhhh."

         "Inuyasha?" said Miroku's voice. "You got _laid, didn't you?" He cried excitedly. Inuyasha heard something along the lines of 'Don't be so lewd, you pervert,' in the background and suppressed a chuckle._

         "Yeah. What do you _want_?"

         "Ah, yes, that. Well. Sango-chan and I were planning on going out for lunch today. Would you like you join us? You can bring a date…"

         "Ah… I would, but um… I have to work today."

         "Ahahaha, I know what you're getting at, you sly dog, you!" Miroku said, and Sango in the background started mumbling about having to cure him of his perversions. Miroku laughed and excused himself. "I'll see you later then. Lemme see if I can squeeze in a quickie before lunch starts."

         "Miroku… _too_ much information," Inuyasha said, only to receive a dial tone in response. He'd been hung up on! Tossing his phone aside apathetically, Inuyasha turned back to the woman that was still snuggled warmly against his side. He placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her gently, to be rewarded by a delicious sound emanating from somewhere in the back of her throat.

         "Mmm, five more minutes," she mumbled, wrapping the white sheets closer around her. 

         "No, no, wake up," he said in a soft voice and watched as her back twisted around to face him. "G'morning," he murmured, a lazy smile spreading over his lips.

         "Good morning," she yawned in reply. She wriggled closer to him and draped an arm over his side. "How was the party?" 

         "Mmm." Inuyasha's hand started combing through her hair, enjoying the feel of the stick-straight strands. "You're not mad that I took Kikyo, are you?"

         He felt her shake her head slightly, her breath hitting him warm and humid on his chest. "Not as long as I get to keep you, Inuyasha."

         "You're the best, Kag," he murmured, and pushed her slightly as an indication for her to move. "I have to go to work today. Want me to take you for dinner tonight?" He got up and stretched, walking to his bathroom door with the intention of going in for a shower.

         "No, I'm alright. I have a date tonight."

         "Oh," he replied indifferently, and walked into the bathroom. "Don't go back to sleep."

         She rolled her eyes and got out of his bed, scouring the room for her clothing. Her pair of black, lacy panties and matching bra had somehow ended up strewn across his desk, her shoes on either end of the room, and a her filmy little black dress crumpled in a ball on the ground. Sighing, she slipped into her clothing, and adjusted her hair in front of the mirror. She'd take a bath when she got home.

She threw a glance at the clock before leaving Inuyasha's room and shutting the door behind her. After all, she would have to hurry to get home or her absence would be noted. If there was one thing that Kagura hated, after all, it was that her little sister Kanna had a compulsion for telling Naraku whenever she was out for the night. 

And if there was one thing that Naraku hated, it was when _his Kagura was out for the night in someone else's bed._

**_In Chapter Three:_**

_      It was the last thing that they expected, but it made perfect sense…          Inuyasha pushed him and smiled with satisfaction when the smell of blood hit his nose…   "I'm sorry, miss, but the answer is no__" …     Funny that he should offer her comfort when he was the cause of her latest problem …  _

AN Okay, I know. It seems like both Inuyasha and Miroku are taken – but fear not! There are lots of elements that haven't come into play yet. Kagome still has equal chances of getting with all three of them. OH! And speaking of Kagome, where has out heroine hidden herself in this chapter? I found that there was very little of her throughout, in comparison to the first chapter. Ah well. 

All of the actors have been introduced now, or at least mentioned. 

I bet you all were surprised to find out that Rin and Kagome's dad were dating. Eh? Eh!? Moowhahahaha, and how about the whole Kagura/Inuyasha thing? Just in case, that's _not going to be one of the resulting couplings unless something comes along to change my mind.  _

**Muchas Gracias TO**

**Small Fry: *Giggles* I love you. Have I told you that?**

**KagomeRoseWish****: Ehehehe… ^_^'' Thank you for reviewing! I'm glad you liked it… er… Yay!**

**Dark-Fire-Phoenix: Glad you enjoyed it, thank you for taking the time to review! Please enjoy this chapter as well. =)**

**Bubbles: Thanks for the review! I'm glad that you pointed that out. I wasn't all too awake when I wrote that whole segment, so it was a little bumpy. Either way, I fixed it a little… it's not _too improved since I was a little reluctant to change too much, but it's improved (I hope). Please read and enjoy this chapter as well. ^_^ _**


	3. Proximity Infatuation

Disclaimer: See Author Profile.

Rating: R, for language and eventually for adult situations.

Summary: Kagome has just had about the worst week in her life. Throw in a dramatic rescue involving three very good-looking guys… and things just might start improving. [AU][Kag/Inu/Mir/Sess ??]

Inertia is defined as "Resistance or disinclination to motion, action, or change" (Webster's Dictionary).

Iron Lotus presents:

Inertia

*

Chapter Three:

Proximity Infatuation

*

            Sango was about to burst into tears. There it lay on the kitchen floor, shattered and broken into thousands of pieces. The broken shards of clay had flown throughout kitchen, many of the pieces probably hiding themselves in unreachable crevices under the fridge and the counters… It broke her heart, but she had to admit that her favorite mug – a yellow one with a picture of a kitten drawn onto it – was destroyed.

            She had lots of memories with that mug – she had met Miroku at the bookstore that she had been shopping for it in. He had told her that coffee mugs said a lot about a person's personality, and that one should be careful in their selection… she preferred not to remember the rest of that particular memory, which involved his infamous roaming hands. It was a sentimental mug. It had meant a lot to her. 

            Miroku entered the kitchen to find out what the crashing sound was, and saw his dear Sango kneeling on the linoleum, her sad eyes staring at the scattered pieces of bright yellow painted clay. He placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly, and helped her to pick up the pieces. Sango knew there was no hope for the mug – she didn't even bother to try and glue it back together, simply throwing the remains of her dear morning companion into the garbage can.

*

Sango shoved her wallet back into her purse and kissed Miroku tenderly before they both left the restaurant and parted ways. It was really a beautiful day. It had been some three weeks since Miroku had moved in with her, and so far they had been pure bliss. That is, pure bliss excluding one little incident where Miroku had hidden her underwear in a perverse attempt at… _something_. Exactly what, she still couldn't figure out. 

            The good – or was it bad? – thing about Miroku was that she could manipulate him into doing – or not doing – anything with the threat that he'd never see her naked body again. 

            A happy little giggle shoved its way out of her mouth at the thought. She was really happy. Miroku was all she needed. She would _never_ give him up. 

            "Sango?" The voice was foreign to her, but she turned to see who it was that was calling. She collided with a tall gentleman, who grabbed one of her hands and deposited a piece of paper within their grasp.

            "What the…" she began to say, over her initial shock from the collision, but she didn't get to finish. Said stranger shut her up by planting a gentle kiss on her lips. Somehow, she didn't resist. Her lips grew warm and her skin tingled from the feel of his breath on her skin. The man pulled away, looking slightly flustered, and walked away in hurry, pausing to turn back and look at her. When he saw that she was looking, he flashed her a sweet smile and continued on his way. 

            She looked after him for an instant, her mind numb. It wasn't for a few moments before the reality of what had just happened to her came crashing down. A pervert! She had just been kissed by a random pervert on the street! Her hands balled into fists in a feeble attempt to suppress her rage. Her seething mind was distracted, however, when she felt the crumpling up of paper in her right hand.

            "What on earth…? Oh." She remembered – the pervert had shoved something into her hands before. She uncrumpled the ball and saw in very carefully penned writing, "Miss Sango, I have loved you from afar. Expect a surprise at your workplace later today." Beneath it was scrawled a set of numbers she assumed to be a telephone number. It wasn't perhaps the most poetic note she had ever read, but it was enough to mildly arouse her curiosity. 

            She turned the paper over a few times, before seeing that it was unsigned. There _was_ the phone-number though. She would call and inform him that she appreciated the gesture – a statement that was not necessarily true – but that she was already romantically involved. _Besides_, she thought, an image of Miroku's lecherous grin popping into her mind, _a pervert is a pervert regardless of his claims to affection_.

            Sighing, she started back to the office. She would call when she got there. It was best to get these things out of the way quickly. 

            Sango was the secretary of a Martial Art's instructor, though she often helped in the running of his classes and teaching of his students. She had her own office, her own desk, and her own window. Sango was especially proud of that window. There was just something to be said about having an office with a window. When she reached her office, though, she saw the mystery pervert seated in one of the chairs across from her desk. 

            Groaning mentally, Sango entered the office. She would have to shoot him down in person, then, which was always infinitely harder to do than when on the phone. 

            "Sango," the man said, standing when she approached. "I have to apologize for the… the _kiss_," he blushed almost endearingly. "You were just so close that I couldn't help it. It was totally out of line. Please… accept my apology…"

            He was tall – taller than Miroku by almost six inches, with longer dark hair and deep brown eyes. Studying his features, she concluded that his face was vaguely familiar, but nothing stuck out at her as definitively recognizable.

            "Apology accepted, I guess," Sango murmured, moving toward her desk. "If you don't mind my asking… who are you?"

            He laughed sheepishly and introduced himself as Takeda Kuranosuke. "I have a younger brother who attends lessons here. I've been watching you help the instructor, and I was just… _taken_. By your grace, your strength –"

            "Please," Sango interjected. "Stop. I already have a boyfriend. We're quite serious, and even moved in together a few weeks ago…" It really wasn't any of his business, and it was far more information than he should have received, but her aim was to discourage the fellow from pursuing her further. This should be enough to persuade him to do as desired. 

            "I am serious as well, Sango. Please," he said, "Please consider me." And with that, he left a neatly wrapped box on her desk and passed by her, his eyes fixed on hers until for a brief moment, they flashed to her lips. He blushed and left the office, shutting the door quietly behind him.

            Curious, Sango opened the package. In it was a plain mug, a soothing, calm olive green color, charmingly bare of ornamentation. She thought back to the shockingly bright yellow mug that she had treasured until its recent unfortunate demise, and a thankful smile crawled onto her face. Shaking her head, Sango sat at her desk and got to work sorting out some mail for her employer. She didn't realize that her fingers had crept up to her lips in a subconscious appreciation of the gentle kiss that this Takeda Kuranosuke had bestowed upon them.

            She forgot to call Miroku to let him know that she would be home from work late. 

***

            Kagome smiled to herself and circled an ad in the newspaper. She was running short of money and being short of a job didn't help her income – this, and her first rent payment was due soon. She would have to scrounge around for the last few dollars to pay for that, and once it was paid, she would be in a state of utter financial ruin: flat broke.

            And thus, she was looking for employment. Picking up the phone, she dialed the number indicated in the want ad. After asking a few pertinent questions, she scheduled an appointment for an interview, and ended the call. She grimaced at the thought of having to pay her phone bill – a new worry since the telephone company had just installed a new phone line in the apartment for her use exclusively.

            Her eyes drifted around the room. Her bedroom was the pride of her life. She had windows almost all across one of the walls – gasp!! – with a fabulous view. The curtains she had chosen were a deep midnight blue decorated with small silver representations of stars. They matched the bedspread that covered her queen-sized bed. Originally, her mother had bought her the set for college, but the bed she had been provided with was too small, so the bedspread was relatively new. 

            She liked her rooms to stay cheerful and full of life, however, so she painted one of the walls a soft, glowing yellow that complemented her drapes and comforter. Throughout the room were pictures of her, friends, and family – books littered her desk and her laptop sat on top of it as well, a tangle of wires trailing from it to the wall-plug. 

            She _loved_ her bedroom. 

            Taking in a deep breath, she plopped down onto her bed. She was feeling so much more refreshed. Kagome was confident that she would be able to land that job at the interview – she was certain of it. She was about to drift off into a contented nap, when there came a knock at the door. Startled, she sat up on her bed and blinked a few times, coming back into wakefulness.

            "Come in," she called, shifting into a more composed position on her bed.

            The door opened and someone entirely unexpected walked into her room. He approached her before she could react and leaned in over her, pushing her back on the bed. She felt wisps of his dark brown hair tickle her forehead, his intense brown eyes staring into hers.

            "Kagome," he breathed, touching his forehead to hers. 

            "H-Hojo…" she put her palms on his chest, intending to push him off. "What are you doing here?"

            He moved away before she could shove him, and his eyes stayed locked on hers. His mind was in turmoil – why _had_ he come here? "Kagome, I want you to marry me."

            It was the last thing that either of them expected, but it made perfect sense… at least, to him. He hadn't intended to say that, but seeing her again had made the words just fly out of his mouth.

            And damn it all, it was true.

            Kagome blinked rapidly, shocked. The last thing that she had expected was for him, of all people, to show up in her apartment. She hadn't bothered to give him her new address, and he hadn't called her cell phone… Hojo had been something distant, almost. A memory. But… this?

            Hojo stood, offering her a brief, if somewhat insincere apology. "Call me… and let me know." With that, he left, leaving a startled young woman in his wake.

            She already knew what her answer was – 'no'. She could never marry him, simply because she did not love him. How would she tell him this, though? How had he thought to ask her something this extreme, when she had just ended a relationship with him? She thought that she had made it clear that she wanted to sever romantic ties with him, so how had he gotten the idea to propose?

            _He had proposed_.

            Kagome wanted to seek her father out for comfort, but she was unable to. She slept uneasily that night, wallowing in her own thoughts. She couldn't talk to her father about it… he was _out_ for the night. Having a sleepover with Rin.

***      

_"I got fired because I wouldn't sleep with him," she had said, her eyes reflecting something along the lines of regret and loathing. "Would you mind watching the eggs for me? I have to call my father."_

_There was a peculiar air around her while they had eaten. Her eyes would shine with interest and life when she looked at either of them, but when she lowered them, they were filled with something akin to pain. The omelet was delicious – a tantalizing mixture of egg, onion, tomato, green pepper and cheese._

_They had driven her home. Miroku and her had made pleasant chatter, but he had driven in silence, listening to the soft tone of her voice and the liquid qualities of her unusual – cute, but unusual – laugh. She had been very appreciative of their rescue of her. She had offered to take them to lunch – her treat – but they had declined. It had been nothing, and they were simply glad that she was safe._

_She was safe. But the bastard that had attacked her…_

Inuyasha pushed him and smiled with satisfaction when the smell of blood hit his noise. It had been really rather a surprise when he had shown up at work and saw _that man_ there, flirting with one of the secretaries. A blind anger had possessed him then, and he had dragged the man out of the lobby and into the garage. There he was now, leaning limply against the wall that Inuyasha had thrown him at, blood dripping out of his nose.

"What the _fuck_?" the man cried, standing up. He said something about Inuyasha being completely unjustified, but it met deaf ears. When he saw that Inuyasha had crouched slightly, his eyes shaded over with a sense of predatory anticipation, he blanched. "What are you _doing?_ Who _are_ you?"

"Does it matter, fuck-face?" Inuyasha asked, blinking his iridescent yellow eyes and grinning evilly. With that, he launched at the blonde haired man and pummeled him, euphorically exacting vengeance on Kagome's part. No woman deserved to be treated in the manner that Kagome had been treated. She had cried silently, tearlessly, all through that morning. No woman deserved to cry.

And this bastard was to be punished for committing such a heinous act as he had. 

He didn't expect the blonde man to retaliate, and the wind was knocked out of him as a punch landed square in his stomach. He fell backwards, watching as the blonde man stood, his lips torn, nose bleeding, and face swollen with the promise of bruising. Inuyasha knew that the man wanted nothing more than to flee. It was an exhilarating feeling – he jumped to his feet and kicked him between his shoulder-blades, watching with a sense of overwhelming satisfaction as the man was blown into a wall, going unconscious from the impact and crumpling to the ground.

Inuyasha adjusted his suit and went back up the stairs to the lobby, leaving his victim in the garage. He had a busy day of work ahead of him – it was nice that it had gotten off to such a good start.

***

Sango jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked to see who it was that had entered her personal space, and was surprised that she was surprised to see Miroku standing there. His eyes looked concerned and confused, and she knew she was in for an interrogation. Suddenly irritated, she turned her attention back to the computer screen.

Miroku's eyes flashed with hurt but Sango did not see. He looked at the back of her head for a moment but closed his eyes in an attempt to strengthen himself. "Sango."

"Mm?" She asked, still not looking his way.

"Sango, could you look at me please?"

"Miroku –" she began, her eyes flashing and her tone impatient.

He interrupted her with a look that could have set her hair on fire, if nature would have allowed it to do so. She froze and waited for him to speak. "What the hell has been going on with you lately?"

"_Nothing_ –"

"No, no, _no_. Don't give me that look. It's definitely not 'nothing'. That's total BS. What's going _on_?"

Sango took a deep breath and grabbed his wrist, moving from the computer and taking him into the living room. She sat with him on the couch and looked into his eyes, inhaling once more, gearing up for what she had to say.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she was ready to face her demons. He was looking at her expectantly, waiting for the reason behind her madness. And as much as it pained her, she had to give him a reason. "I got a new mug, Miroku."

"You're being this pissy because of the _mug_?" he said incredulously.

She shook her head, a little impatient. "No, Miroku." She looked at him, attentive to everything she had to say, his hand still holding hers. _God_, she thought, imprinting his image into her mind. _Oh God, help me_.

Miroku was handsome, funny, smart, perfect… they had been together for three or four years now – which, she wasn't sure, since they weren't really sticklers about anniversaries – and those years had been pure heaven for her. She needed him by her side, and she loved him. That was all that there was to it. They were perfect together. They _belonged_ together. Nobody doubted it, nobody believed otherwise. _God_, she whispered in silent prayer. _Let him understand_.

"I got a new mug, Miroku. And it wasn't you who gave it to me."

He looked at her uncertainly for a moment and then, slowly, understanding dawned in the violet depths of his eyes. Understanding. So he understood.

"How long has this been going on?" he asked, pulling his hands away from hers. Immediately, she missed their warmth. He took the elastic out of his hair and raked his hand through it before putting it back up into that little ponytail at the nape of his neck. She wanted to reach over and comb her hands through it – but she couldn't. There was a barrier between them now. Now that she had spoken, things would never be the same between them again, regardless of whether they wanted them to or not.

_God,_ she amended, _let him accept this_.

***

Life was being so ridiculously unfair. She was having a difficult time trying to understand what it was that she had done – since she must have done something – in order for things to be as shitty as they were now. She was sitting on a park bench, her hands folded in her lap, her eyes blind to everything around her as she looked blankly ahead of her.

She sat on that park bench, her breathing slow and steady as though she were enjoying the scenery, though her mind whirled and reeled as thoughts flashed like wildfire through her head. She was oblivious to anything happening around her – she did not notice the soft summer breeze or pleasant way that the sun shone down on her. She did not see the children playing across from her in the playground that was not too far off, she did not hear their carefree laughter ringing through the air. The swaying of the grass and the tree branches overhead did not attract her attention – she merely sat there, motionless.

To anyone else, it would have seemed like a gorgeous day just ripe with opportunity. It was on days like these, it seemed that things _happened_. Life-altering things. Today was the perfect sort of day for a life to begin anew. Or so it would seem, to anyone who wasn't her. 

Oh – something had _happened_ to her today, alright. It seemed, however, that it was not that a life-changing opportunity, ripe for the plucking, had popped up in her face. Something had happened, alright. Something that perfectly fit the trend her life had been taking lately.

_"I'm sorry, miss."_

His voice had been thin of patience. It had bitten her with its acidity, broken her with its coldness. 

            _"I'm sorry, miss, but the answer is _no_."_

He had known her name, anyway. And even if he hadn't, it was there on the resume that he had sitting in front of him on his desk, right next to the cheery picture that Sango had taken for her during her days in college. Sure, it was some-what an outdated picture, but it was a good one, and her name was _right next to it_. '_I'm sorry, Higurashi-san_…' Would it really have been that difficult to have just _said her name_? 

Her hands, so neatly folded in her lap, clenched each other tightly, and started trembling with a mix of suppressed anger and sadness. Almost as though it was reflecting her mood, the few clouds that hung in the sky darkened lightly and let a soft, soothing drizzle pour out from them. The pitter-patter of the unexpected droplets did not catch her attention either, though perhaps subconsciously, she shivered from the sudden chill. 

It had startled the children and they dashed about, scurrying to get out of the light rain. She stayed where she was, though, her hands still shaking from gripping each other so tightly. She sat on the bench in the middle of that now-abandoned park, the soft summer mist surrounding her and taking her in. Her clothing took little time to soak through, and the continuous drizzle took its time in saturating any part of her that was dry.

The sun remained in the sky throughout the light shower, the sky blue, and the clouds white. It was as though there were no rain clouds at all up in the giant, sunny blue expanse above. But it rained. And she found it entirely appropriate. 

She remained tuned out to her environment, not feeling when the chill touch of the rain ceased to fall on her. A long moment after they ceased to touch her, a voice drawled out over the pattering of rain around them, "You're making yourself a perfect target for any wandering mugger or rapist, you know."

It was at his voice that she snapped out of her daze and looked up. He stood there, glorious, wrapped in a trench coat despite the fact that it was still midsummer, a matching umbrella in his left hand. Before she could say anything, his golden eyes looked down at her, and with a hushing tone, he said, "You were overqualified."

"… Is that it, then?" Her anger slowly began to surface. "I didn't get the only _good_ job on the market because it would have been easy for me?"

He closed his eyes as though struggling for patience. "It wasn't worthy of you. Someone with your skills would never be satisfied with such menial work." He looked down at her, drenched, soaked through to her bones on the wooden park bench. Her eyes look defiantly up at him, flashing with a range of emotions like he had never seen. There was something about this girl. She was forgettable and haunting all at once. "Get up. My car is over there."

She didn't move. Her hands trembled still in her lap, although now due equally to the sudden realization that she was freezing as due to her anger. Her stormy gray eyes looked up at him, almost contemptuously, her hair falling in limp, wet waves over her back and sticking to her face. She was clammy. Clammy, and cold and miserable. But she did not move.

He extended a hand. "We're running another ad for a higher position, more fit for your capabilities, in tomorrow's paper. Look out for it should you still care to apply," he said, his voice coaxing, willing her to do his bidding. 

Was he trying to comfort her? He, the man that had refused to use her name at the interview earlier in the afternoon? She knew she shouldn't have complied, but there was something in his eyes that compelled her to obey. And thus, she heeded her body's cry for warmth and shelter, and took his outstretched hand, allowing him to help her to her feet.

He walked alongside her under the safety of his umbrella, watching her expression grow tired and wary. He had been driving home when he had passed by the park. He had seen her there, seated on the park bench in the middle of the rain, her hands in her lap and her chin tipped downwards slightly. The moment that she had entered his field of vision, he had thought how vulnerable she looked, how dangerous it was for her to be sitting there so openly. She filled his mind, much as she had on the balcony at the dinner a few nights prior. It was funny how easily he had forgotten their moment of companionship on that balcony – how he had not given her a second thought after she had left his office – but that when she entered his presence, she became all that he could think about.

He had heard Miroku put a term to this sort of feeling before. What had he called it?

A proximity infatuation. This was exactly how it was with Kagome. So easily cast from memory and yet so utterly engrossing…

He laid his trench coat inside out over the passenger seat of his car so that she could sit on the wet side and avoid damaging the leather of his car, and shut the door behind her.

They drove in silence. He was keenly aware of the sound of her breathing, the gentle, quiet exhalations soothing to the ear, and even more aware of the fact that she clutched her arms desperately, hoping to warm herself up. When they reached his apartment, he showed her to Rin's old room, handing her a set of towels to use and a bathrobe to wear, and then taking her wet clothing to put in the dryer. She showered quickly and toweled her hair dry before changing into the slightly large bathrobe. 

When she stepped out into the bedroom, she found it empty. Somewhat hesitantly, she left the room and walked down the vaguely familiar hallway to where she remembered the stairs were. She had had a bit of a hangover the last time that she was there – though it wasn't the most noticeable, and by far not the worst one she'd ever had – and so navigating the hallways was proving a bit of a task for her tired mind.

Once she was down the stairs, she found her way to the kitchen. Kagome touched a hand to the counter, feeling its smooth, familiar surface under her fingertips. Sesshoumaru, she recalled, had not come down for breakfast that day when she had woken up in a strange bed in their apartment…

She felt a hand touch her elbow and looked up to see him there. He led her away from the kitchen and into another room – the den, he said as they entered. He guided her to a fluffy, comfortable couch, and said simply, "sit".

She obeyed without hesitation. "Sesshoumaru…" she paused, unsure as to how to continue. "… Thank you."

He left the room, making no sign that he acknowledged her gratitude. She hugged the fluffy bathrobe around her and sighed. When Sesshoumaru returned, he saw her there, hugging herself and sobbing lightly. He set down the mug of coffee he had brought for her and sat on the couch by her side.

His eyes widened in surprise when she turned to him and buried her head in his chest, crying into him. He reveled in her warmth, and awkwardly put a hand on her back, hoping that it was a comforting gesture.

After a while, she righted herself and pulled away from him, rubbing her slightly puffy eyes. "I'm sorry… its just that nothing has been going well for me lately. I don't think I can take any more of this… you know, of things turning sour on me…"

Wordlessly, he handed her the mug which was full of still pleasantly hot coffee. She took it from him, giving him a thankful smile. Funny, she thought, that he should offer her comfort when he was the cause of her latest problem. 

This girl filled the entirety of his mind when she was close, but when they were apart, she did not plague him in the least. At the moment, he was taken in by the scent of her hair, smelling faintly like apple. He smiled to himself. He had bought that shampoo for himself, but Inuyasha had wanted to steal it, so Sesshoumaru had hidden it in Rin's shower. It had been forgotten after a while, but the smell was distinct and he liked the way that it mixed in with those raven tresses of hers.

He watched her as she took a sip of the coffee he had prepared for her, her stormy gray eyes partially closed, her long black lashes curling and hiding her eyes from view. It was… a seductive look, to say the least. He wondered somewhere in the back of his mind if the bathrobe would retain her smell for long after she returned it to him. He turned away, trying to focus on something else.

 'Really,' she thought, peering at him when he was not looking at her, 'he can be pretty nice…' her assumption from the party a few nights prior summoned itself into her mind. 'And just as likely, taken. The good ones always are… especially when I'm looking for them.'

As covert as she thought her looking at him was, her gaze did not go unnoticed by Sesshoumaru. He made no move, however; simply waiting for her to let out whatever it was that was in her mind.

"Are you involved with anyone, Sesshoumaru?"

Everything rested on this answer. If he said no, it would be the truth, and it would be an invitation to her, telling her that he would consider her. Regrettably for her, she was easy to disregard, and therefore deserved no false encouragement if she would not keep his interest long, which she would no doubt do. "Yes," he replied flatly, lying through his teeth. All that mattered, though, was that she was discouraged from pursuing him.

"Figured," she replied, just as blandly, not looking fazed in the least. 

***

Atsue opened the front door to the apartment and was surprised to see the face of a strange woman standing at the door. She had a few suitcases scattered around her, and tear-streaks on her face. In a soft voice, she asked, "Is Kagome home?"

He glanced at his watch and noted the time. "It's eight already? She should be home in a few minutes. If you would like to leave your stuff in her rooms? Let me help you move this," he offered, not hesitating to let the fragile looking girl into the apartment. They moved her things into Kagome's room and he left her there, on Kagome's bed before going back out and trying to call his daughter. 

He didn't need to, as it turned out. She walked right into the house before he could get to the front door to shut it. At her questioning look, he explained that there was a woman in her room, waiting for her. Kagome nodded, guessing that it was Sango, and went to her room. There her friend sat, a mess on her bed, disheveled and unhappy looking.

"Sango! What's wrong, honey?" Kagome asked, switching into mothering-gear. 

Sango explained through her tears about meeting Takeda Kuranosuke and how she had broken up with Miroku. She was letting him stay in the apartment until he could move out, and then she would take it back again. She only needed a place to stay until then. 

"Two or three days, Kagome, that's all I need, I promise…"

Circling the older girl in her arms, Kagome embraced her, soothingly stroking her hair. "Shh, Sango. It's alright, it's alright. Stay as long as you need," she murmured, consoling the crying girl in her arms.

It seemed to Kagome, perhaps for the first time, that she wasn't alone. Sango and her father and everyone had been there for her, but she had not turned to them for the support that she needed. She realized how selfish she had been, excluding them from what had been going on in her life. Sango had turned to her for support, though, and she promised herself that she would be there for her friend.

Eventually, she succeeded in lulling Sango to sleep. She left the girl curled up on the bed and wandered into the room across the hall, grabbing the cordless phone from off of the coffee table to call her mother. 

_***_

**_In Chapter Four:_ **_Their fingers intertwined as he led her down the hall to his room…   Her cheeks reddened when she realized that his intense eyes were staring straight into hers … Kagura ran from the room, ignoring his calls for her to come back… It was like something out of a dream…_

**AN** I am so pissed. You all have _no_ idea. It's nothing related to the story, but my parents are being really bitchy lately. It's like... what the hell. Anyway. Here's chapter three. There will be a short pause before chapter four, since my brother is coming back from college and I cant wait to chill with him.

Anyway. Please enjoy this chapter!! I'm setting things up for some major romantic conflict in a few chapters. Say yay, people. Say it loud.

**Many a Thanks to**

**Deka**** Dieche:** I'm glad you enjoyed, and thanks so much for the compliment!! Here's chapter three, then. Please look forward to chapter four!

**LovelyLioness57:** I know, it was only a _little_ S/K, and it wasn't exactly fluff… but hey. I'm getting there. 

**Amyfushigiyugi****: **Thank you so much for taking the time to read this fic! I'm glad you're enjoying it. ^_^

**Dark-Fire-Phoenix: **I _cant_ leave Miroku and Sango together, though! Of course… they could always get together at the end, if their other relationships don't work out too well… but until then, I have to play with them a little bit, ne? 


	4. Beautiful Tradition

Disclaimer: See Author Profile.

Rating: R, for language and eventually for adult situations.

Summary: Kagome has just had about the worst week in her life. Throw in a dramatic rescue involving three very good-looking guys… and things just might start improving. [AU][Kag/Inu/Mir/Sess ??]

Inertia is defined as "Resistance or disinclination to motion, action, or change" (Webster's Dictionary).

Iron Lotus presents:

Inertia

*

Chapter Four:

Beautiful Tradition

*

Rin combed her fingers through her hair and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Atsue liked her hair loose, so she was making a point of wearing it down tonight. She had a feeling about tonight. There had been something in his voice when he had asked her out to dinner – nothing too pronounced, no, but it was there. She had a feeling about tonight. 

It was funny how things had changed between them since that dinner party. How long had it been now? A week? Two? Either way. Since she had met his daughter – Kagome, was it? – things started to feel more… serious. More involved. And now…? Suffice to say that she had a feeling about tonight. Something extraordinary was going to happen, she just _knew it_. 

Blinking, she glanced at her reflection once more, a pleased smile coming onto her face at the way she looked. She was wearing a little black dress which accentuated her curves, a delicate watch on one of her slim wrists, and a pair of black shoes with a discreet heel. It was elegant and suitable for a night like tonight. She was itching, just _itching _for him to pick her up. He was always punctual, and had told her he'd be at her door in – how long was it, now? Five minutes. Five excruciatingly slow minutes.

The second that the clock's second hand passed the '12', her doorbell rang. A small yip escaped her mouth as she stood, checked her reflection one last time, and ran out to meet her boyfriend. 

She opened the door and was pleased to see him there. He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the forehead, grabbing her wrist with one hand. He led her wordlessly through the door, letting it close behind them without bothering to lock it. The apartments in this building were guarded securely on the ground floor and there were no security problems. She could leave her apartment unlocked for weeks without fear of a robbery.

Atsue didn't say a word as he pulled her into the elevator, pushing the button for the lobby with one hand and pulling her into his arms with the other. He held her against him the entire way down, tenderly rubbing her arms with his large, soft hands.

It was only when they got into his car that he spoke. "How are you tonight?"

"Happy," she replied simply, gracing him with a dazzling smile of hers. 

The place that he took her to was a small, quaint restaurant, with no more than twelve tables and only a few waiters. Atsue knew them all by name. He had been coming to this place for the past seven years, whenever it was time to celebrate a special occasion. One of the waiters, a tall, sturdy-looking gentleman, seated them upon their arrival. 

They dined, their conversations as they ate idle and unimportant. Rin's stomach was twisted up in knots that wound tighter as the night went on. He was acting as though nothing was going on, but she was feeling it differently. He was hiding something from her, and the thought struck her suddenly that maybe the _something_ she suspected was going to happen tonight wasn't the _something_ she thought it would be. 

She ordered a slice of thick chocolate cake for desert, hoping the creamy, dark chocolate would help ease her anxiousness. Atsue merely asked for a coffee, and watched as Rin took a delicate bite out of her slice.

Rin really did look beautiful with her hair down. He watched as it bounced slightly, swishing around her when she turned her head to glance out the window. It was everything about this girl that drove him crazy. After the dinner party, Kagome had asked him what on earth he had been thinking, dating a girl her age. He hadn't really an answer that would satisfy her, so he asked her simply in reply if age was really an issue. He loved her, and that was all that mattered – legalities aside. She had looked at him for a long moment before a small smile spread over her face, recalling the moment when they had met at that inconspicuous little café by her high school.

_"Is the great Seitaka Atsuo falling for schoolgirls now? That'll be your downfall, you know."_

But there was no way about it. Looking at her, the way her mouth and jaw moved as she chewed, how her eyes lingered closed for an imperceptibly small amount of time every time that she blinked… it was everything about this girl that drove him crazy.

He loved her, and that was really all that mattered.

"Rin," he started, taking a small sip of his dark, steaming coffee.

She looked up at him and her eyes widened. There was something in his face – a sort of serenity that for reasons unbeknownst to her seemed alarming. It was a look of acceptance, of calm, of resolve. As though he had resigned himself to his fate. '_Oh my God,'_ she thought, her breath catching in her throat. _'It's over.'_

"It really can't be helped," Atsue said. He reached across the table and took one of her hands into his own, intently studying her knuckles. Wordlessly, he slid something cold and metallic onto her left ring finger.

It was golden, and beautiful. There was a simple square-cut diamond set into the gold band that was a thin wave around her finger. Rin found herself unable to breath.

"Marry me?"

***

Miroku set down his cup of coffee and looked across the table at her. He had asked to meet her, yes… but why on earth had he gone and done that? She looked at him intensely, waiting for him to answer her question. Why had he asked her here? He knew that it would subject them both to an uncomfortable atmosphere, awkward questions, and inevitably resentment and friction. 

Sighing, his eyes went back to the dark coffee swirling with the thick cream inside of his mug. It was a new one – he had bought it on his own, in a small used book store near his old apartment. It was a color somewhere between blue and purple and black. He had laughed when he saw it – it fit him perfectly at the moment. Purplish black for his bruised pride and bruised heart.

"Inuyasha's," he replied at last. 

Sango's eyes went down to her own mug – the one that Takeda had given her. "Are you sure you'll be alright there? I mean… it's far from where you work…"

He nodded and brought the mug to his lips. The coffee poured into his mouth, hot and delicious, running down his throat as he swallowed. "I'll be alright. Your apartment wasn't really that much closer. When are you moving back in?"

"Tomorrow," she stated simply.

There was an awkward silence as they both stared into their respective mugs. After a moment, Miroku couldn't take the tenseness of the air between them and opened his mouth to speak. "How's he doing?" he asked before he could think. _Stupid.__ Made it worse._

"Inuyasha?" Sango asked absently, before she realized who Miroku had been referring to. "Well. I haven't seen him yet. We talked on the phone once, briefly. We're going out to dinner tomorrow night," she said hopefully.

"Okay, stop it," he set his mug down on the table and looked at her coldly. "I appreciate that you're trying for the 'let's be friends' angle, but I don't need to hear about that, and I certainly don't _want_ to hear about it."

"What are you _talking _about? You're the one who asked," she replied acidly, her eyes narrowing. "_You're_ the one who asked me here."

He gripped the sides of his chair underneath the table and his eyes narrowed as well. "You know perfectly well _why_."

"Oh, do I?" she practically spat at him.

Grabbing a key from his pocket, he tossed it across the table at her, noticing with a twisted pleasure the surprised and somewhat disappointed look that crossed her face. "Have your fucking key back," he said, and stood. Her eyes had widened unimaginably now. Had he ever cursed in front of her like that before? Only Inuyasha had heard such obscenities leave Miroku's mouth before, and that was only when he had been in the throes of a drunken fit.

He grabbed his mug and left her behind, sitting still and very pale in the booth they had shared only seconds ago. He had been stupid, he would admit. He just wanted to return her key to her, but somehow he had invited her in for coffee. Could he help it? They had been together for so long he couldn't just stop loving her on command. 

He knew that they had been too involved with each other for them to salvage anything after their breakup. They would never be able to remain friends – while it was a pretty dream, the reality was harsh. Friendship between them was not a possibility simply _because_ they had been so close. 

Hell, given a few months and some hard liquor, he would have proposed. 

But alas, it was not so. 

He sighed and took another small sip of his coffee. He really had messed up, today. He had antagonized her to no end. There was no fixing it now. The already fucked up situation was broken beyond repair.

Maybe he should call Yura? Getting laid might take his mind off of things. The feel of a woman's body moving under his… oh yes, it would be enough to take his mind off of things. Temporarily.

He groaned and altered his course to head toward the park. He didn't even _like_ Yura – in all actuality, he couldn't stand her. He hated the way that she obsessed over her hair, and he hated the skimpy clothes that she wore, completely devoid of class. Skimpy was _fine _once in a while, but every day? That was one of the things that he had liked about Sango. She had been refreshingly un-superficial, dressing tastefully and not marketing her body as though it was a product for sale.

Miroku approached a bench and sat down, setting his mug down by his side. He closed his eyes and focused. Meditation was an activity that he indulged in occasionally – he found that it helped calm his anger and deal with his sometimes turbulent emotions. He exhaled slowly, through his mouth and relaxed his shoulders.

His heart-rate dropped as he let himself fall into the recesses of his mind. Deep, even breathing was the key.

"Miroku-san?" At the sound of her voice, his heart doubled in speed and his eyes snapped open. Yes – there she stood, leaning over him her breath heating his face, and her delectable lips just mere inches from his own, ripe for the taking. 

"Kagome-san," he said, pulling away. She did so as well and seated herself on the bench by his side. "How are you?" She was looking very pretty in her day-clothes: a pair of plain back sandals, a short dark denim skirt, and a summery-looking dark salmon-colored blouse.

She smiled in response and looked ahead of her wistfully. "I'm alright. Taking my mind off of my troubles by immersing myself in my friends'… you know how it is." He gave her an inquisitive look and she continued. "My friend Sango broke up with her long-time boyfriend a little while ago. She's the one I used to share an apartment with," she said, adding the last part as an afterthought.

She didn't know? If Kagome in fact did _not_ know that he was the ex-boyfriend that she was speaking of, then…

"Hey, Miroku-san? Why don't you come to my place for dinner tonight? My father and I take turns cooking and it's my night, so…"

_Things are looking up, _he thought, smiling. "It's Friday today, right?" She nodded. "Well, how about we make a deal, you and I?" His eyes lit up with a shine to them that, had she known him better, would have been a great deal disturbing. "I just moved in with some friends of mine and I don't really want to cook dinner – Friday is my night – and since you're offering to cook, why don't you, you know, come to _my_ place and make dinner?"

They both laughed, and he apologized, saying he was joking. Kagome couldn't help it, though. "If you _really_ don't want to, I guess I could go over there and make dinner for you guys."

Miroku's eyes grew as big as saucers. "Ah! Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru will be *thrilled*!!" He paused. "Did I forget to mention I moved in with them?"

She laughed. "It's fine. I haven't seen Inuyasha in a while."

***

Inuyasha tried not to yell at the old geezer for his embarrassing behavior. It hadn't been enough that he had practically _begged_ for _both_ Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru to go to the airport to pick him up, but when they got there, he had launched himself at them and hugged them as indiscreetly as possible, proclaiming loudly so that everyone could hear how he loved his sons for being so good as to go and pick him up after so long and unbearable an absence. 

_As if_. 

Sesshoumaru had not been so reserved. He had smacked the old man on the back of the head and silenced any complaint with a glare that could have frozen the sun. They had made it to the car without further incident. The car – one of Miroku's – was parked in a nice, shady handicapped-parking spot close to the exit out of baggage claim. Inuyasha knew that Miroku wouldn't be pleased that he had borrowed his car without permission, yet again, but hey. Inuyasha didn't make the rules. 

"Isn't this Miroku's car, Inuyasha?" Sessue asked, seating himself in the passenger seat and buckling his seatbelt. 

"Yeah. Don't worry about it though, Dad. It's one of the perks of having him move in. … The _only_ perk." Inuyasha pulled out of the parking space. 

"He moved in?" Sessue asked, not waiting for an answer before launching his next question. "What about that girlfriend of his – Sango-chan? He just moved in with _her_, didn't he?"

"Aa…" Inuyasha responded. "They had some issues, apparently, so he moved out of there a few weeks ago and moved in with us." Sessue remained silent for a while after that, processing the new information. Inuyasha waited a moment before asking, "How is that crazy old man doing?" 

"Toutousai?" Sessue barked a laugh. "He's alright. Nothing's changed with _that_ old geezer, he's eccentric as always. I'm very pleased with him," he said, the last part sounding oddly thoughtful. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru both quirked eyebrows at him and Sessue said vaguely, "He's working on something for me. Gifts for you two when your old man dies away."

Sesshoumaru found it hard to hold back a snort. "Why did you not request that your driver come and pick you up, father? I have better things I could have been doing with my time." 

Sessue turned so that his could see his oldest son. "We're eating dinner tonight as a family, Sesshoumaru. We haven't gone to Fiero's in a while – how does that sound?"

Had it been anyone else, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha would have fought tooth and nail to get out of dinner that night. But alas – it wasn't _just anyone_, it was their _father_. And Sessue, though he seemed easy-going and aloof, was a bastard when it came to getting his way. Once the decision was made, there was nothing anyone could do about it. Both of his children had learned that the hard way and were resigned to accepting his decisions, however bitterly they detested the idea.

Inuyasha coughed and glanced at his brother. "Um, Dad. How about we just eat at home? I really should get the car back to Miroku… since I borrowed it without asking and all." Sessue looked at his youngest and saw him glance back at Sesshoumaru before covertly mouthing, "_Rin_." 

_Oh,_ he thought. _So that's how it is._ Atsue and Rin were eating dinner at Fiero's. If Sesshoumaru saw them together, he was likely to go ballistic. That was one thing that neither Inuyasha nor Sessue understood – Sesshoumaru's relationship with Rin. There had been a period of time when the two wouldn't so much as _look_ at each other, but now Sesshoumaru was like a fiercely overprotective father to the girl, disapproving of anyone and everyone that she brought him, most likely due to the subconscious fear that whoever that someone was would wrench her away from him.

Sesshoumaru, however, was entirely unaware of the covert exchange between his father and half-brother, being busy contemplating how on _earth_ he was going to get out of this _family dinner_ thing. He was not keen on spending any 'quality time' with either of his relations, and spent as little time with them as he could get away with. His only possible salvation was the hope that Miroku would be home. Sessue liked Miroku to a degree that he considered the boy something akin to a son. Heaven knew that those two had for more in common than Sessue and _Sesshoumaru_ did. If Miroku was around, the obnoxious idiot would fill in well for Sesshoumaru's absence.

It was, after all, Miroku's turn to cook dinner tonight.

Blast. Knowing that idiot, he would find some way to weasel out of one his _only_ chores about the apartment, leaving Sesshoumaru no hope at all in escaping the 'quality time' his father so desperately wanted to inflict upon him. If this was the case, Sesshoumaru would throttle Miroku's scrawny ass to teach him a lesson about responsibility. Especially when ditching said responsibility would leave Sesshoumaru to a night of torture that could easily have been evaded otherwise.

He was screwed though. The rat would find _some_ way out of it. _Blast_. 

***

The ring-tone of her cel interrupted the calm silence of her room. Sango had rearranged everything, in hopes of altering the feel of the apartment. Once Miroku had left the café that afternoon, she had been possessed by an all consuming irrational anger that had compelled her to try and wipe everything clean from memories of him. 

_"Have your fucking key back."_

She had never, _ever_ heard him speak like that. There had been a bitter, incensed flavor to the words, and it had shocked her. The way he had spat the words at her, as though she wasn't worth a second thought – had she ever heard him curse like that before? Miroku was not one for vulgarities in language; he was always keeping peace with others and himself, and he found that words of that nature did nothing for the keeping of the piece. 

Oh wait, she thought. He frequently referred to Inuyasha as "you prick" or "you ass"… oh. And when Miroku was drunk, or even tipsy, he could curse like a sailor. 

But he had been entirely lucid in that café – sober – and she doubted that he had mistaken her for Inuyasha. _"Have your fucking key back"_. So much spite in so few words. And the sting of it was more than she would ever have expected from the serene man she had dated for so long. 

The ring-tone ran on incessantly and she was no longer able to ignore the annoying bleeps. Grabbing the phone from where it lay beside her on her bed, she answered it. "_Hello_," she demanded, unable to keep the agitation from her voice.

"Sango-san? Ahh… I'm sorry if it's a bad time… I'll call again later."

"Takeda-kun?" She cried, before he could hang up. "It's not a bad time. How are you?"

"I'm alright," he responded, chuckling a little nervously. His voice was deep and smooth, she noted, but…

It was most likely because she had just had a falling-out with Miroku that she wasn't so delighted at it being Takeda that she was on the phone with. She had broken up with Miroku because of Takeda, but she didn't love him in the least. To her, he looked like an ordinary man – the average Joe – plain and unoriginal and only moderately intelligent. She didn't know him well enough to know if she liked his character – she really didn't know him all. And yet, she broke up with Miroku, her long-time boyfriend, because of him.

"You have to _what_?" she asked, her heart clenching for a moment.

"I can't make it to dinner tonight – my sister is having her baby. I'm heading there in a moment. To the hospital." He paused, listening for a reaction. The other end of the line was deathly quiet, so he kept on talking. "So, since this was sprung up so suddenly, I was wondering if I could take you to lunch instead of dinner, today."

Sango's heart resumed beating and the anger that had been building up inside of her dissipated. "Wait, what?"

"Would you like you like to come for lunch? I'd have to pick you up now, though…"

A small, pleasantly surprised smile shone brightly on her face and she voiced her assent. She certainly had not expected for him to up and do something spontaneous – it didn't fit with the homey, bland image of him that she had created for herself. When they hung up she hurried about her apartment and threw on a decent outfit and grabbed her purse. True to his word, Kuranosuke was prompt in arriving to pick her up for lunch.

The restaurant that he took her to was one that was relatively close to where she lived. It was a family-owned business, and Sango realized within seconds that it was the little restaurant that belonged to Hojo's parents. They were seated quickly, and served promptly after they made their order. Sango was hungry – she was so busy eating that she didn't take the time to speak, and the air was filled with a contented silence. 

At one point during the meal, Sango looked up to study her companion. When she did allow her gaze to drift up to look at him, her eyes became locked with his. Her cheeks reddened when she realized that his intense eyes were staring straight into hers. She averted her eyes, a little shame-faced for having been caught staring. After a moment, she realized that his gaze lingered intently on her. "Ano… is there something on my face?"

He blushed and looked away. "It's just… when you chew… it's cute." 

Sango felt a little surge of happiness course through her. She smiled, and continued eating. Silence settled between them again until she had finished her meal. As she was watching him finish the remnants of his, she murmured, "I broke up with my boyfriend."

Kuranosuke looked up at her, his eyes wide. He had expected a great deal of wooing would have been in order before _that_ would come about. Hadn't she just moved in with her boyfriend? She said that they were very serious, but… without having gone out with Kuranosuke once, she had chosen to break up with her boyfriend? He blinked a little stupidly. "Why?"

Sango looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't know. You."

***

Miroku realized in the car that Kagome had worked just as well as meditation would have, in keeping his mind off of things. Kagome fiddled with the radio, changing the presets, wondering aloud who had chosen such terrible stations, and he half-listened with an amused ear to her cheerful banter. 

He was busy, with the other half of his mind, remembering every detail of that night. How her hair had splayed out about her, how he had had her in his lap the entire ride…. The way her creamy, sweet skin had been illuminated by the dim light in the parking lot, how her chest rose and fell as she breathed, how her lips had been slightly parted in sleep.

In that precise moment, there had been no woman in the world more beautiful than she. A goddess in the night.

"What would you like for dinner?" 

"Oh, I don't know," he started, hearing himself speak. "Anything is good. I mean, judging from those omelets, you're a pretty good cook." He smiled, she laughed. The air between them was comfortable; they felt that they had known each other forever, even though it was only the third time that they had spoken.

"Sesshoumaru mentioned that you applied for a job at his company," Miroku started, glancing at her briefly before turning his attention back to the road. "Two, actually."

"Yeah," she laughed a little bitterly. "And I didn't get either one." She paused, thinking back to the time she had spent in his living room a few days prior. "He wasn't _so_ bad about it though."

_"Are you involved with anyone, Sesshoumaru?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Figured," she replied, just as blandly, not looking fazed in the least. _

_Sesshoumaru looked at her for a long moment afterwards, and then stood, setting his coffee down. He reached down, grabbed her mug and set down on the table beside his before tugging her to her feet. She had been confused, but he had pulled her from the room, his hand releasing its grip on her wrist and sliding down to her hand so that he held it within his own. Their fingers intertwined – subconsciously perhaps – as he led her down the hall to what she assumed was his room._

_He shut the door behind them, releasing her hand as he moved across the room and headed toward his desk. From there, he shuffled through some of his papers and pulled out a small, rectangular card. "Here," he said, handing it to her. "In case you need anything."_

_He called a cab and showed her to the door. She never even got to finish her coffee.  _

"… not really that bad," she heard Miroku saying as she zoned back into reality. 

"I'm sorry?"

He glanced at her again as he signaled to turn. "Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha both seem to have some sort of social disorder, if you think about it, but they're not really that bad. It stems from their childhood, I guess… but that's not something I should be talking about. If you really want to know, ask Inuyasha. He's the more likely of the two of them to say something."

She leaned back in her seat and let her thoughts stray to the two Youtoru brothers. Before she could really get lost in her thoughts, however, Miroku pulled into a parking space in the underground parking to the apartment. 

***

Kagura's cheek stung like nothing else. She glared up at his cold, dark eyes in defiance and he repeated the motion, slapping her with force and contempt, sending her flying backwards and tumbling into the wall. There was nothing as cruel and beautiful as he; hateful to his core with the countenance of a gentle, ordinary man. It was rare that his face betrayed its calm mask to give way to a demon's face, contorted with rage and dangerous intent, as it was now. 

"You stupid bitch," he spat, raising his hand as if to strike her again but thinking better of it and pulling back. "Get up."

Kagura stood shakily, her knees trembling slightly and her face on fire from the impact of his hand. 

He looked at her coldly, his mind running through thousands of possible scenarios he could pick and chose from. He settled on basic intimidation and graced her with a small, wicked smile before speaking. "I use women because they are so much easier to manipulate… more _loyal_," he said, hissing the word right into her face before moving out just a little more. "But you… you disappoint me. So much so that I think I just might kill you."

Fear seized her heart and it stalled for a brief moment before she pushed herself away from him. Kagura ran from the room, ignoring his mocking call for her to come back. _I think I just might kill _you. The bored way in which he had said it might have sounded like an idle threat to anyone else. It might have sounded like a bad joke, like he wasn't serious. But to anyone that knew him, it was apparent that he wasn't _joking_. He was never _joking_. 

She was surprised that he hadn't ripped her heart out right then and there, while standing over her like a predator standing over fallen prey. It was a good enough comparison, she thought. Like a predator, he was just _waiting_ to go in for the kill, for her body to spasm in its last, primal attempts at self-preservation, blood oozing in thick currents down her throat and out of her mouth. Waiting for the last signs of resistance to fade so that he could be rid of that disappointing, disloyal woman that was under his command. Why continue to deal with a constant thorn in his side when there were others that would willingly pledge their lives to him and take over the vacancy that her death would provide?

Kagura knew why he did it, of course. He enjoyed the resistance she put up against him. He enjoyed watching her squirm. He _enjoyed_ watching her writhe beneath him as he pleasured her, enjoyed hearing her pant out every hateful word, every possible insult she think of to keep from moaning out his name and surrendering to him. It was fun to torment her, fun to threaten her, fun to punish her when she was bad.

Even when following his demands, even when obeying his word, she defied him. Openly, secretly, awake and in dreams, she was always defying him, betraying him. And secretly, when she was alone for nobody else to hear, she praised all the gods in heaven for not letting him get it in his mind to try and break her. And she thanked the gods in heaven for not letting him try and kill her.

And he had just said he would. Calmly, passionlessly, as though he was talking about the weather, he had threatened her very existence. 

He would end everything. She didn't know how, she didn't know when, but she knew he would. He would snuff out the candle of her life. She would die, and there was no way she could prevent it.

Unless… 

Kagura kept running. She wasn't running away from him anymore, however, but running to reach a certain, definite destination which could – if things went well – aid her in her quest for self-preservation. 

***

Sesshoumaru unlocked the door to the apartment and opened it, his eyes immediately assaulted with the face of a grinning lecher. _I'm saved_, Sesshoumaru thought, pointedly ignoring Miroku as the small group moved inside. 

Miroku noticed a look of relief on Sesshoumaru's face, albeit it was only there for a split second, and immediately knew what was up. He and Sesshoumaru weren't particularly fond of each other, but there was a sense of wary mutual respect between them. Seeing the guest among them, Miroku brightened and pulled Sessue into a hug. "Sessue! How was your trip?"

Sessue laughed and waved off the question, and the small group migrated into the apartment, heading toward the living room. 

"Something smells good," Inuyasha noted, sniffing in the scent. 

"That would be dinner," Miroku replied, "I invited the young miss Kagome-san to come and she graciously offered to prepare the meal. Should I go tell her that Sessue is eating with us?" Miroku asked, looking pointedly at Sesshoumaru to indicate that it was his chance for escape.

Sesshoumaru, however, needed no such prompting. "That will not be necessary," he informed the group before excusing himself. "I will convey the message." When nobody argued, he left. 

Kagome was standing over the stove, her face slightly flushed from the heat, sautéing some onions. He watched her silently for a moment before moving into the kitchen and heading toward the fridge to get a glass of water. She turned around when she heard footsteps. "Miro- ah. Hello, Sesshoumaru."

He opened a cabinet and selected a glass before responding. "My father will be joining us for dinner tonight as well. He and the others will be by shortly to greet you." With that, he topped off his glass and left for his room.

Kagome turned to survey her progress. _There should be enough for five_, she thought to herself before resuming her previous activities. 

Miroku, Inuyasha, and his father wandered in the direction of the kitchen when it became apparent that Sesshoumaru would not be coming back to join them. The aroma of the night's meal was thick in the air, spicy and delicious, making their mouths water. Inuyasha couldn't help the smile that popped on his face when he saw her.

She was stirring something over the stove in a classy, discreet outfit with heels – reminding him greatly of the women in the 60's who would clean and vacuum their houses in pumps. Her hair lay loose against her back, pulled into a ponytail at the nape of her neck with a yellow rubber band that Miroku had scrounged up for her serving as a scrunchie. 

Sessue sighed. She was like something our of a dream… It figured that this gorgeous creature was one of _Miroku's_ friends, and not one of his sons'. It was a shame, really… they really _were_ hopeless.

The pretty thing that they were watching turned and paused in her motions when she saw them standing there. She smiled in greeting before motioning for them to join her in the kitchen. Stepping away from the stove, she launched herself at Inuyasha, giving him a quite unexpected hug. 

"Inuyasha," she said in greeting, before backing away and looking at him with the same intense, thoughtful gaze she had given him the morning after he had rescued her at the club. "Long time no see."

He blushed a little embarrassedly and murmured something along the lines of 'Yeah'. 

Miroku stepped in and diverted attention from the flustered Inuyasha to introduce Sessue. "Kagome-san, this is Youtoru Sessue, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's father."

"Pleased to meet you," Kagome murmured politely. Sessue took her hand in his and brushed his lips gently against her knuckles.

"The pleasure is all mine," he replied and Inuyasha smacked him on the back of the head to keep him from continuing. Sessue was as big a pervert as Miroku was, and there was _no need_ for Kagome to see that, lest she think worse of his children. "How did that dirty lecher con you into cooking him dinner?" Sessue asked instead, watching as she returned the preparing of the meal.

"Who's a dirty lecher?" drawled a voice from behind him, which Sessue immediately recognized as Sesshoumaru's. "I believe you were the one to impress your dirty, lecherous habits onto him." There was tension in the air for a brief moment before Kagome chuckled and asked that they set the table because she was done with the heavenly smelling food. 

And so began a beautiful tradition. Friday nights were Kagome's night to cook, and Miroku's turn replaced take-out Sundays. The meal was always good and the conversation was always lively, though it seemed that some people did by far more talking than others. 

Kagome stayed at the apartment until very late that night. It was perhaps around one when her phone rang. Startled, Kagome had checked her watch, and wondered aloud, "Who would be calling this late?" She looked at the display on her phone but didn't recognize the number. "Hello?"

The group watched as a look of horror swept over Kagome's face. "H- Hojo…?"

_***_

**_In Chapter Five:_ **_Don't laugh, onee-chan … "What the hell are you doing here? Get out! Get OUT!" … Her head tossed backwards and she laughed a cold, bitter laugh … Atsue didn't like the man _one bit_, but if Honoe loved him, what could he say? … It wasn't as though he hated Inuyasha … _

**AN** **5964 words!!! **Sorry for the long wait – had a blast when my bro came back, and didn't really do anything productive at all!! Then I had midterms… gah. I wrote a little one-shot (which I may expand… eventually) to commemorate the New Year. Please read it!! It feels lonely, being unsure if people have read it. 

As my dear friend Katie pointed out, Sesshoumaru _is_ a tad OOC… okay, maybe a tad more than a tad. This will be covered in the following chapter, where we will discover more about Inuyasha and his relationship as brothers. (Cue Silver_Cerberus for wild applause… _here_.) 

Instead of arguing that because this is an AU, the OOCness doesn't really count and that it's my prerogative anyway, I have a more legit reason. Because this is an AU, I have taken some license in altering their past as a family. Because circumstances as they grew up in my story differ slightly from those in the series, their characters are altered slightly. I wanted to stay true to both the personalities that were provided in the series – because if they were too OOC, they would be the same characters in name and face only – and also to the past that I have written for them. Does that make sense? Whatever.

**Love and Kisses to**

**Miserymistmenthe****: **Yeah, he is pretty creepy, isn't he? When I saw him in the anime, I was pretty freaked out as well. I'll think about the San/Mir coupling for the future… it all really depends. I'm with ya on the S/K though – one of my favorite couplings!

**Deka**** Dieche:** Ooooh, you flatter me! Thank you so much for taking the time to reviewwwww, I really appreciate it. Heehee, I hope this chapter doesn't let you down!

**Bubbles: **Why, hello, puppet! I'm guessing by your inconspicuous wink-nudging, you slightly favor the M/K, eh? Just teasing, just teasing! I know you're an avid… er… Inuyasha-family/Kagome fan. Mehehhee… see ya in C or F, baby.

**Hikari**** no Sekai: **I'm happy that you enjoyed it. Look forward to chapter 5!

**Dark Fire ****Phoenix****:** It is pretty screwed, isn't it? But don't worry… things get better. Please read and look forward to the next chapter!

**Silver_Cerberus****: **Thank you! As to the Inuyasha/Sesshoumaru conflict, there will be some of that, as well as a little explanation as to why it isn't so pronounced as people are used to seeing… 

**Bottom of a Bottle: **I'm glad you like it! Please read this chapter and enjoy it as well. It would be interesting if she got all three of them, though, ne? Imagine… Inuyasha gets her Mondays and Thursdays, Miroku Tuesdays and Fridays, and Sesshoumaru Wednesdays and Saturdays… Sunday being the day of rest. Lol. Interesting fix.

**Small Fry: **I was wondering if anyone might catch on to that. She doesn't know that Miroku is Sango's boyfriend – leaving much space for oodles of romantic conflict (teehee). 

**Fayrie****: **Thanks so much for reading my storrrrryyyy! As for the lemon… I'm not so sure. Maybe I'll write a side-story with some lemon in it, but so far I don't think there will be one.

**Amyfushigiyugi****: **Cookies from Sesshie? _No way!!!_ SEND HIM OVER RIGHT NOW!!! ^_^


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